Devoted to You
by z.a. franks
Summary: Honda Tohru inherited an unusual part of possession from her father: a mouse. But it wasn't an ordinary mouse, as she suspected, because it talks! Yukiru COMPLETE
1. 1

Devoted to you

I had a sudden brainstorm after my other fantasy yukiru fic. This is completely AU, probably because I'm obsessed with Yuki and Tohru pairing up, with Yuki's dashing personality.

_This story is somewhat based in a fairy tale Puss in Boots. I hope you've heard of it. But this time, it's not a cat who's clever._

_It's a mouse ^_^_

-----------

It was a fine morning. Many years has passed since a wonderful sunrise was seen from the windows of a quiet village. There were a lot of people busy for today, especially the ones who need to go to work. They had to travel a bit far towards the city, so they're the usual early birds among the others.

Sixteen-year-old Honda Tohru stood up and sighed heavily. She already carried the fifth pail of water from the well towards their old mill. She was thankful that she was allowed to gather water from her neighbor's stock, for her family had been a bit poor and less than anybody else in the village.

"Ooh~! It feels nice." She cupped her hands so she could splash water all over her face. "Mornings should be a bit cold, but today's different." She shook her head. "Mornings or no mornings, I still have to cook breakfast for everybody! They might scold me again for being so late!" 

She hurried back inside the house. As usual, no one is still up. She could still hear snoring upstairs and smiled. "I better finish everything before everyone wakes up."

Being the youngest and also the orphan in the house, she was forced to do chores on her own, but she didn't mind at all. She spent most of her time in the kitchen, where she hums songs from her mother to keep her smile. 

Her mother died when she was very young and she was forced to live with her stepfather, who loves her dearly. But the "problem" was her 2 stepbrothers, who were both older than her. They didn't go to work or anything. They usually spent time inside the house, calling her names and forcing her to do more strenuous work like chopping wood and cleaning the whole house. 

But no one ever knew why she still smiles so brightly than anyone.

"Oh my! We run out of eggs." She whispered. "I need to go to the village to get some!"

She hurried towards her cabinet and grabbed a pair of boots and a basket. Then, she stepped towards the door and ran off.

----------------

"I've been waiting for fifteen minutes and you're still not done???" a man squeals at the driver, who was terrified after he heard such tone of voice. "I thought you're a professional!"

I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid the carriage had a lot of damage." He apologized. "We still need to get to the city---"

"We need to get back to the house! If that damn Shigure hired you because you're good, then prove it!" The man yelled again and checked his watch. "God, we're going to be late. Just hurry up!"

"Y-yes, sir."

The man sighed as he stared at the driver. "Shigure hired such old hag."

He felt a tap on his shoulder. "Can we walk for a while?" a child asked.

"Kisa, we can't go anywhere for now. We're a bit late." The man replied. 

"Please…" Kisa begged. 

He chuckled. "Alright, but don't run to far. I'll be checking on this guy for progress."

"Yes, Hatori-san…"

----------------

"Thank you." Tohru handed over her money.

"Dear, you're…er… a bit short of money." The vendor replied.

"Ahh! Sorry!" She apologized. "I don't know. Please forgive me. I'll just return everything and---"

"It's alright." The vendor smiled. "I know who you are, Honda Tohru, and your mother had done great things for me."

"Ah… right."

"So, as an act of gratitude, you can take it of you want."

"But---" she began but the vendor shoved almost all of her goods and placed it in a larger container. 

"Take it." She handed it to Tohru, who was a bit stunned of the woman's generosity.

"Yes, thank you!" she said quickly. "I promise I'll pay you back, Uo-chan."

"No problem, Honda-san." She winked.

-------------

The sun was completely shining now and she knew that everyone back at the mill is awake. Knowing this, she hurried back quickly. She don't want to keep them waiting, especially her father.

"This is a lot of it." Tohru looked at her goods. "This must be good for everyone for a week!"

She smiled. "Now, I can feed father as much as I want. That way, he won't get sick again."

"Hello…" she heard a voice behind her and she found a little girl smiling at her.

"Hi!" Tohru greeted cheerfully. "Are you lost?"

"Ne, A little…" she whispered.

"Mind if I ask your name?"

"Kisa…"

"Kisa…" Tohru repeated. "Are you alone?"

"No." she replied shyly. "I'm with Hatori-san… a while ago…"

"Ah, Hatori---" her voice trailed off. Her mind wandered for a few moments, then a sudden realization came to her. "Hatori? Hatori Sohma?" she asked.

"Yes, why?"

"But… he's a Sohma…" Tohru's voice was a bit cracking which made Kisa giggled.

"Yes he is---"

"A Sohma! The clan who inherited the greatest fortune in the land! The clan who bought our village! He's… a Sohma… a real one…"

"Yes, he is." Kisa replied. 

"And… you're a Sohma, too?"

"H-Hai…" 

Tohru almost fell from her position. She stared at Kisa, like she was another life form. "Kisa… Kisa Sohma! How can I forget! You're the one who one those elegant figurines of Jyunishi last year in the festival!"

"Hai!" Kisa replied happily. "I didn't know that I was that famous."

"You're a SOHMA! You guys are famous!" Tohru almost screamed at her. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting one."

"Hai. Um… could you show me the way?" 

"Oh, yes. Please follow me. You can get lost that easily, you know."

"I AM lost…um, your name?" Kisa asked.

"Hai, Honda Tohru." She replied.

---------------

"We're ready, sir." The driver yelled proudly. But Hatori wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Kisa!!!" He yelled and searched the grounds. But she was nowhere in sight.

"Hatori-san!!!!" Kisa yelled from a distance. Hatori went towards her and stared at her firmly. 

"Where have you been?" he asked. "I told you not to wander off that far!"

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Hatori sighed. "It's alright, since I know that you're ok." He glanced at the woman next to her. "Who are you?"

"A—Honda Tohru-san." She bowed. "I found her a bit far from here but she's alright."

"Of course, she is. She's a Sohma." Hatori said firmly. "But if she caused you so much trouble, I would like to apologize for that matter---"

"No she isn't!" Tohru replied quickly. "She's very quiet… and amazing. She's been almost anywhere that I haven't."

"Of course, she's a Sohma." He eyed her. "And you're a peasant."

"Ah…"

"Hatori-san!" Kisa hissed at him.

"I would also like to thank you for bringing Kisa back." He said forcibly. "I would really appreciate to help you reach your destination but we're really lacking out of time."

"Oh, no worries!" Tohru smiled. "My house is near here. I could walk towards the mill without your help but thank you anyway."

"Mill?" He raised a brow. "The mill that was separated from the village?"

"Y-yes." 

"No wonder you're poor." He whispered.

"Hatori-san!"

He sighed heavily as he got in the carriage. "It was nice meeting you, Honda-san." He carried Kisa inside. "And I hope we meet again."

"Hai, it was really an experience meeting a Sohma." She bowed once more as the carriage took its pace and left. Before it disappeared in the distance, she saw Kisa waving back at her.

----------------------

Hatori grinned as he remembered the young girl's words. "An experience meeting a Sohma." He whispered. "How pathetic."

"Bye, ne-chan!!!" Kisa yelled as she stuck her head outside the window.

"Kisa, I don't want to see your head lying around on the middle of the road so keep it _inside _the vehicle." Hatori said firmly.

Kisa sat up from her seat and smiled happily. "It was an experience meeting a girl like her."

"Really?" he raised a brow.

"Of course. It's been years since we haven't talk for… for people like them."

"Kisa, you're using a wrong term. They should be called _peasants_. They're pathetic… and we shouldn't meet people like them." Hatori explained.

"Then what should we do to them."

"We _buy_ them." He replied. "What happened to your studies with Akito? You even left just to win those figurines made by those fools."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing…" he maintained his cold voice. "Have you told that girl about anything related to us Sohmas?"

"I told her about---"

"About _it_?" Hatori asked quickly.

"No, Hatori-san. I haven't and won't mention _it _to her." Kisa replied.

"You won't mention it because you won't be meeting her again, Kisa." Hatori said firmly. "And don't call her _sister _again."

"Yes, Hatori-san…" she whispered.

"Try to relax. We're almost there."

----------------

Hatori got down from the carriage with Kisa behind him. After accompanying her towards her room, he went straight to his office. A person was waiting for him inside. "What do you want, Shigure?"

"How's your walk with Kisa?"

"I don't care. Where is he?"

Shigure shook his head. "They haven't found him."

"What?!"

"They searched downriver." Gure looked out of the window and grinned. "They even shut down the dams just to find him."

"Where could he be?"

"You're worried about him?"

"Of course I am!" Hatori yelled. "He's a Sohma! You can't just let him die out there! What if a peasant finds him?! Then he would be used as ransom!"

"Hatori, don't think like that…" Shigure chuckled. "There's nothing to worry about."

"You're very optimistic but how will we ever find a _mouse_ in a huge continent?!" Hatori asked him.

"I don't know…"

"We're your optimism now, Shigure?" the doctor quickly left the room.

--------------

"I'm home!" Tohru called out. To her surprise there was no answer. 

"Father?" she called out and went towards his room. She knocked at the door, but there was no reply. She did it again, but there was silence. Finally, she opened the door for herself.

"Father!" she glanced at the bed, where her father was laid. He was breathing slowly and was sweating badly. "What happened?! Where are my brothers?"

"Tohru…" he whispered. "Your brothers… poisoned me… took all of my money… left without you…"

"Father please hang on. I'll call a doctor."

"No!" he yelled. "Tohru, listen to me. They might come back here to kill you. But you should… leave…" he stretched out to get something under the bed. "This… is the last thing that I… could give you… as my daughter…"

He held out a cage. "A creature lies inside. It's bit weak and I found it days ago. I tried to feed it but its strength won't come out after a several days. Please take care of it, Tohru."

She placed the cage next to her and her eyes gazed at her father's face. "Please… don't leave me…"

"I'm sorry… I wasn't a great father… like your mother expected me to be…to you…" he coughed out and passed away right in front of her.

All she could do next was to cry beside him. She had lost someone who was close to her for the second time. 

But this time, she won't fail again.

_He wanted me to take care of this creature… _she glanced at the cage. _I wonder what it is?_

She opened the cage and to her surprise, a small furry gray animal was cuddling in one corner. 

She should be ok but confusion rose inside her.

_A mouse?_


	2. 2

It was late afternoon when the sky grew dark, like heaven cursing every living person in the land, as it dominated the whole country. The animals started to take cover as the first drop of rain fell, and soon, it was a heavy downpour. Very disturbing, all of the vendors closed their shops as they let the rain pass.

Sohma Hatori stood by the windowsill, gazing at the nearest peasant house. He watched them blankly as the father called out his children to get inside the house. They followed obediently before they even got wet. After that sight, the doctor's mind started to recall memories of his own.

_"Please get inside. You'll get sick." A woman called out from the open door. Hatori just stood there looking at her as the rain poured down heavily against him._

_"I don't enter any peasant's house." He mumbled._

_"Then think of it as your own. As long as you're breathing, I can consider you as a fellow human. So you also deserve the same warm hospitality as anyone else."_

_"Why are you doing this?" he asked suddenly. The woman chuckled._

_"Is it forbidden? I guess not. If you're planning to get drenched on your way back to the way, I won't bother. But if you may, you can stay here until the rain calms down. It won't take long." She replied._

_"…no."_

_She grinned at him. "You're pretty stubborn, don't you think?"_

_"Like I said, I don't enter any peasant's house."_

_"And like I said, think of it as your own." She glared. " If you're smart enough, you'll realize that you're the one who's wrong. Get inside before you'll get sick, Hatori."_

_"How dare you call me by my name!" he yelled._

_"Well at least I got your attention, didn't I?" she smiled heartily._

_Because of that, he entered the house, the very first peasant house. _

_And the last one, at least._

Hatori glanced at the table, where a small dragon carved from wood lies. It was hand made by the nearby villagers… and probably the only village who respected them. He knew that the name Sohma definitely rings the bell. According to the villagers, it was the name of their masters, their conquerors, their leaders and the most superior being that needs to be worshiped. Even though rumors spread that they're cursed, it never held them back. 

A curse of the Jyunishi, wherein it made them hide themselves beyond their power. They usually stay inside the mansion, waiting for the right time to come out. It remained as a secret for a long time, maybe only a legend for the villagers. Anyone who tried to prove that will be killed.

But ever since he went inside that peasant house, he knew that he deserved greater respect. 

That day was so wrong. "She even called me with my first name." He whispered.

He remembered that time when he looked at her. She looked so innocent but strong. No wonder she had guts to call him that. He suddenly recalled the name he himself adored in his younger years.

"Kana…"

"Hatori?" a orange-haired guy came in. His body stiffened as Hatori's eyes caught his. "You called?"

"Ah… yes." Hatori nodded quickly, snapping himself out from his imagination. "I believe you heard about what happened to your cousin---"

"Serves him right." The boy said.

"… and I want you to find him."

"WHAT?!" the guy banged his fists against the table. "Why would I look for that nezumi?!"

"First of all, it was partly your fault when that happened." He glared. "You left him alone back there and---"

"HE CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF!!!"

"Well, you thought he would… but he didn't. He's sick and he's alone out there." Hatori sat on his chair and glared at the guy. "You know these forests more than I do or anyone else. We're counting on you more than those police."

"But---"

"I promise I'll take care of Kagura." He grinned.

"It's not that! A cat was created to battle a mouse!" the guy yelled. 

"Also, the cat WAS invented to find a mouse." Hatori popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Good Luck."

The guy growled as he left the room. At the same time, Shigure entered the room and stared at Hatori. "Do you think sending Kyou out there is such a good idea?"

"That's the best idea I got so far. The police aren't really working that fast anymore." He replied. "In this way, we have doubled our chance in finding him."

"I see. But do you think will be able to find Yuki?" 

"I don't know. Let's just hope that nobody finds out about the curse. Once it happens," Hatori stared out of the window once more. "We're done for."

"You really like your position as an acting mayor of the country." Shigure laughed.

"As long as Yuki isn't back yet, I'll take his place for a while." He grinned at his own idea.

"Thank you, Hana-san, Uo-san." Tohru bowed again for gratitude. "I do hope I could pay you soon---"

"Tohru, you shouldn't think that way. We're your friends right?" Uotani gave her a friendly nudge. "Don't worry. As long as you're father's sick, you can stay her as long as you want, right Hanajima?"

Hana's eyes stared at Tohru's large ones. "The sky is dark, the moon is out tonight and the wolves are howling differently."

"Er… right." Tohru tried to understand those words.

"She means that you can stay." Uo quickly said. "C'mon I'll show you to your room." She took her hand and he luggage as she guided her friend upstairs.

"Uo-san…"

"Yes, Tohru?"

"How did you understand Hana-san's words?" she sweatdropped. "She's so confusing sometimes."

"It takes time and experience." She winked.

"I see."

"Don't worry. Hana's mother is very good in curing people." She opened the door for her. "Here, it's not much of a room you know but it's the last one we have left."

"Thank you, Uo-san." She bowed once more.

"I'll call you when dinner's ready." Uotani smiled at her and closed the door. 

"I'm glad that they're such great friends." She whispered to herself.

"Yeah. Me too."

Tohru jumped from her place. _Did I hear something? _"It must have been the wind." She smiled.

"No it isn't." 

She looked around and she was now a bit nervous. _I did hear something. _"Are you… a g-ghost?"

There was light chuckle. "Don't worry I won't hurt you."

"Eh?" she grabbed the nearest umbrella that she had and swayed it from side to side. "D-don't come near me!" she yelled panicky.

"Hey! Stop that!" the voice came again.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" she asked.

"I want you… to help me mend my wounds."

"Wounds?" she wondered. "Where did you get those?" _This is so weird. I'm talking to someone I don't know and I don't see!_

"It doesn't matter. Can you help me?" The voice sounded nice and calm but a bit weak. Moved from pity, she slowly dropped the umbrella and looked around.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Can you come out?"

"I can't."

"Why? There's nothing to be afraid of." She whispered. "It's just… me."

"I know… but you see… I'm a bit stuck."

"Where?"

"Below you." 

She looked down and saw the cage that her father gave her. _He's…*gulp* inside the cage?!_

She slowly opened the cage and looked inside it. "um…"

The mouse was staring back at her and it looked so cute, so she smiled. "You're awake now." 

"Yes." A reply came.

Tohru stared at it. _The mouse is talking.. to me! TALKING TO ME?!_

"Can you help me now?" it asked.

Before she could even reply, she let out a silent scream and fainted right in front of him.

_This is not happening… _The mouse wondered.

"What's wrong, Hanajima?" Uo asked as she prepared the table.

"I feel a strong wave of indifference in the area. I believe something came so unexpected." Her friend wondered.

"Stop it, Hana-san. You always get that feeling when it rains." She laughed. "I wonder why so many people are afraid of you."

"Uo…"

"Please, don't scare the wits out of Tohru. She's already been scared enough." Uo glared at her. "Promise that you won't share any death claims or something right in front of her, understood?"

"… yes."

"Hey wake up."

"Eh?"

"… Tohru, is that your name?" a male voice came. "Please wake up."

Tohru opened her eyes once she heard that. _There's a male in my room?!_

It was true. A teenage male sat beside her on the floor, staring at her. He smiled once she blinked. "I'm happy that you're ok. I'm sorry if I scared you."

_Scared me? _She tried to remember. _Yes, there was a voice… from the cage and… _She stared at the young man. He was… ahem…_undressed…_

"Ahh!" he covered her mouth before she screamed. She blushed hotly as she ignored him.

"Don't shout. Once you do, your friends will notice that someone's here with you. Please, I won't hurt you, just don't shout." He pleaded.

She quickly nodded as he let her go. She looked the other way while he scanned the room fro clothes.

"It was good that they let you sleep inside this place. There's a lot of stuff here that we can use." He said.

_We? _She wondered. _Am I involved already? I just met him!_

"Can I use these clothes for a while?" he held up some old shirt and jeans.

"U-Use it if-f you want…" she stuttered. She heard him humming as he got on the clothes. 

She slowly looked around to look at him. He was about her age and he picked out clothes that are pretty casual for him. As he was about to put a shirt on, he winced in pain.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um… to tell you the truth, I'm not really joking about those wounds." He replied.

"Sorry!" she guided him towards the bed. "Wait here, I'll get some bandages." She scanned at some drawers hastily. Once she had some, she went back to him and attended his wounds.

He looked at her calmly as she dressed his wounds. She looked so happy and innocent but her eyes weren't. He can tell that she was confused and scared after what happened. 

"Sorry.." he whispered.

"Huh?" she was surprised to hear the words he said.

"I scared you a while ago." He continued. "You see, your father found me in the river and tried to nurse me back to health but wasn't a very good vet." He laughed at his story.

"You mean, you… were the mouse earlier?" 

_Uh-oh. I shouldn't have said that. _His face fell in sadness. "I… shouldn't have mentioned you that. I was born with this curse and…"

He couldn't say anything anymore to her. Heavy silence came and all they could hear was the rain colliding against the nearby window. She already finished dressing his wounds. He slowly put on a shirt and looked at her.

"Are you… angry at me?" he asked.

"Why should I?" she whispered. "It's not your fault why you have these wounds."

"No,,, I shared to you something---"

"I know… it's the legend that my mother used to tell me." She looked at him. "That the ones who had this curse could never hug his or her opposite sex. They avoid to get hugged so they are used to be alone… away from the crowd…"

"You're right…" he smiled.

"How is it?"

"What is?"

"Your life… I mean, you had this curse with you." She whispered. "Isn't it kind of sad?"

"… a little. But there's nothing I can do." He looked away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you. Thanks for your help but I can go home now."

"Wait." She held his hand. "You're still hurt and it's raining very hard outside. Please stay."

"I might be a bother." 

"No, it's fine." She smiled. "You need rest more than I do."

"But---"

"I may not be a doctor but I know when a person desperately needs to recover." She said firmly. "Rest now. I'll tell Uo-san to bring extra food up here."

"But they'll know that there's someone---"

"I'll just tell them that I need a midnight snack." she smiled.

"You've done enough…" he held her hands. "Please, I don't want to cause anymore trouble."

"But---" Before she would say something, her foot slipped and she lost her balance, finding herself falling over him. They end up in a bed for a second and…

**POOF!**

"Ah!" she looked below her and saw the same mouse she saw earlier. But this time, it was wrapped in bandages and his clothes a while ago were scattered on the bed. "SORRY!" she quickly apologized.

"Ne, it's nothing…" he replied. "I guess you're not used to this yet."

"Sorry! I was so clumsy and…"

"No, it's fine." He said soothingly. Instead of saying anything else, she laughed.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Now, I have a reason why you need to stay." She looked at his form. Soon after, he laughed with her. 

"Maybe I need to stay for a while." He replied.

"Good. I'll get your dinner." She stood up and went towards the door. Before she left, she looked back at him. "Ne, you already know my name. What's yours?"

"Ah, Yuki." He said quickly.

"Yuki." She smiled. "I'll be right back Yuki." Then she left him alone in the room.

Yuki sighed heavily as he stared at the windowsill. It was raining awfully hard. _I guess she's right. Maybe I should stay for a while. _

_It's a good thing I didn't mention to her that I'm a Sohma. She might react even more… like the rest of the peasant do. Meeting a Sohma is quite an entertainment for them._

_Hatori-san, please, in case you'll know that this ordinary girl knows the Jyunishi curse, please don't hurt her. She understands me and I think she's… _he smiled secretly. _She's nice._


	3. 3

"Mou…" A young girl looked out of the window. The rain has calmed down, but it was awfully quiet inside the Sohma mansion, especially when she had nothing to do. "If only Kyou-kun was here, I would be happy."

"Kagura-san~!" Shigure called out from his office.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Stop staring at the window. People might think that you're some kind of a ghost or something." He chuckled. "Why do you keep on wearing that dress anyway?"

She twirled around, making sparkles with her white dress. "Do you like it? I requested Ayame-san to make this dress. I'll be wearing it on our anniversary."

"Anniversary, huh?" Shigure grinned. "Since when did you guys love each other?" 

"You're so mean!" she pouted. "Kyou loves me. He's just confused and… he doesn't say it!"

"Hmm… ok, suit yourself."

"Hey, where did he go anyway?"

"Our beloved leader just sent him to find Yuki." Shigure began to type something in his computer. "Strange, isn't it?"

"But… why only him?!" she sat down on a vacant seat. "I mean, he could sent anyone else! He already sent the police and…"

"He doesn't trust those people, Kagura-san." He replied. "But… I think he also sent Kyou for another purpose."

"Eh?"

"Well, you see, we have another Sohma on the loose once more and… he's lost, as usual." The novelist giggled. "No wonder it's Haru-san who's missing."

"But that means it's doubled the work!"

"Maybe, but at least it will be the two of them who will be hunting our dearest Yuki." He looked out of the window.

_If you're alive, Yuki, make sure you won't mention to anyone that you're a Sohma._

"Is it good?" Tohru asked as he sat back on the bed after he ate his dinner.

"Yes, it's very delicious. Thank you for everything, Honda-san." He smiled.

"It's not a problem. But if you need anything, just tell me and I'll get more food." She piled up his dishes and placed them all again in a tray. 

"I told you already, you've done so much." He replied as he helped her with the dishes.

"It doesn't matter."

"Why? Why are helping me so much? We just met, remember?" 

"I know but you're the last family that I had." She turned towards the door. "I know it sounds a bit crazy but I think seeing you happy makes me happy too. You remind me of my father. He's very weak but he knows and understands far more than anyone else I knew. You're somewhat alike so I believe taking care of you would make my father happy, as well as making me happy." 

She then left him alone in the room. Yuki himself was surprised and speechless after he heard those words. "…I've never seen anyone so nice… and warm as well." He grinned. "She's so happy… even if she lost everything… and I'm the only thing that she has inherited."

_I have to return back her kindness and at the same time, find my way back home… but how?_

"You sure ate a lot today, Tohru." Uo stared at the young girl as she piled up the dishes on the counter.

"Eh? Well… my mother used to tell me that when a person is depressed, the best way to get out of it was to eat more than the usual quantity." She smiled. _I hope they'll listen!_

"…I see but don't get carried away. Remember, we're still here for you." 

"Hai." Tohru nodded quickly. "…I also need another set of blankets."

"Another –Tohru, is it cold up there? Maybe you should sleep in my room---"

"No! I-It's just that… I want to sleep comfortable tonight. Mother told me that I should sleep on a comfy bed whenever I feel… uh… depressed…." Tohru made up another excuse as Uotani placed the dishes back on the cabinets.

"Hm… you're right. Ok, just get them in the closet upstairs, ok?"

"Hai!" she nodded again. She turned towards the stairs when Hanajima stepped in front of her. "What… What's wrong, Hana-san?"

"Tohru…" she placed a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "I sense… another wavelength… inside this house."

"Eh???"

"Another… human… cursed… weakling…" Hana stopped talking as Uo pulled her away from Tohru.

"Please go up, Tohru-san. I'll…um… take care of her." 

"Hai…" Tohru quickly went upstairs.

"We had a deal remember?!" Uotani hissed loudly.

"Uo… I fear… curse---"

"HANAJIMA, you shouldn't scare her like that!" Uo yelled. "Remember, Tohru is still depressed… so don't even depressed her with some another---"

"I understand… Uo-san…" Hanajima stared out of the window. "But… this presence… is a bit different…"

There was sudden knock on the door. "Who is it?" Uo yelled.

"Can you let me in for a while? It's kind of raining out here!"

"Who are you?"

"Please can you let me in?!"

Uotani opened the door and a young man dressed in black came in. He was completely soaked from the rain. "Thanks for letting me in." he said.

"No problem. Why are you traveling at this time of the night? And besides, it's raining!"

"I'm not traveling. I'm finding my way back." He scratched his head. "Of course, I'm an odd one if I explain further."

"I can see that. There's no much room here but we'll allow you to stay." Up grinned. "I'll get some clothes for you." She stopped before she disappeared on top of the stairs. "By the way, you have a cute hairstyle."

"Really?" The young man asked.

"Yeah. Youngsters today are trying on different colors for their hair. But it's a bit odd for you to color your hair black and white." She laughed. "Why is it?"

"…uh, let's just say I was born with this." He replied.

"I see. Make yourself at home." She left him downstairs with Hanajima.

"…You're a Sohma, am I correct?" Hana suddenly asked.

The man looked at her. "How did you know?"

"Never mind…" she looked away. _Same… odd wavelength that I felt a while ago… What does this mean?_

"You even gave me blankets." Yuki chuckled. "Really, you shouldn't be this generous."

_"_No, It doesn't bother me at all." She smiled. 

"Thank you for everything." He whispered.

"It's not a problem really."

"How could I ever repay you?" he suddenly asked. _Slow down… don't blurt out that you have enough money to buy anything she wants._

She laughed at him. "Funny, I haven't heard those words in years."

"Really?… Mind if I ask but who told you these words?" he asked.

"A Sohma." She replied happily. "But that was years ago. I was child back then… and he even patted me. I heard that he died already… but strange, he died somewhere where no Sohma will visit him."

"He died?" _I wonder who he is. _Yuki looked at her. "DO you know his name?"

"…I don't know… but some say he was banished from the Sohma mansion years ago." She wondered. "I guess he… is against the great one's orders."

"Great one?" Yuki asked.

"Hai. My mother told me that this 'great one' is a ruthless Sohma. He often tried to buy every village and city near the mansion, making him more powerful and fearful as well. He went one time here in our village and he summoned the police just to burn down some of the houses here." She explained. "That's why my mother and I lived in a mill away from the village, just to be safe… and it was safe and quiet… not until…"

"The succeeding mayor bought the mill." He whispered. _So this is the mill that Hatori mentioned…_

"Yes, you're right." She stared at him. "But that was a private matter. Only Sohmas and my family knew about it. How did you know?" she asked.

Yuki jumped from his place. _Uh-oh. Here I go again. _"…I kind of know somebody." He whispered.

"I see. Please don't tell this to anyone, ok?" Tohru smiled. "I don't want them to know that my parents are very poor that we can't pay the Sohmas. Father has been trying really hard to do something about it but…"

He watched her smile fading away. _I made her sad again. _"I'll help you."

"Eh?"

"Do you have a job?" he asked. "I want to help you, since I'm the only one you've got left and the only family you have. Let me help you with something."

"But… I don't have a job…"

"I see… but there's still hope. You can still pay the Sohmas." He smiled at her warmly. "I know you can."

"But how am I suppose to pay the Sohmas if I don't have a job?" she asked.

"You don't need a job." He grinned. "You only need to be famous." _Like me…_

"What?"

"Tohru, are you awake?" Uo called from the door. "Can I come in?"

"Oh no. Uo-san!" she whispered.

"I'll climb out of the window." He went towards the window. Before he could even get out, Tohru grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?!" she asked. "Killing yourself?!"

"Trust me. I'll be right back." He winked as he jumped out of the window.

"Wait---"

"Tohru?" Uotani opened the door, just in time when Yuki jumped off. Tohru looked at her friend standing by the door. "Who are you talking to?"

"uh… nobody…" she answered weakly.

"Tohru, I know that you're depressed but… try not to think too much. Your mother will be sad once you try to ignore your life."

"I-I know… I was just thinking---"

"HONDA TOHRU!" Uo glared at her. "From this day forward, you are NOT ALLOWED TO THINK unless you need to!"

"EH???"

"Just joking." Uo winked at her. "Don't overdo things. Remember that."

"A-Ah, Hai!" she nodded quickly. _Uo-san sure is very scary. But I understand that she's very worried. _

"I'm here to get some old clothes." She explained as she opened some boxes that were scattered on the corner. "There's a stranded stranger downstairs and he's soaked. He need some fresh clothes for the night."

"Ah!" she nodded. _That worries me in another way. I wonder what Yuki-kun is doing._

"Strange…" Uo wondered. "I know that there's some old jeans here and I can't seem to find it."

Tohru couldn't help but giggle at her friend's voice-out thought.

"That was so easy…." Yuki sat down behind the bushes and stared at the window where he got off. "Even if I had these wounds, I could still get down from that height. I'm very happy that I learned much from sensei."

He watched as Tohru smiled from the window. _I guess her friend is still inside. I'll wait a bit longer._

_I wonder why she's so kind to me. The way she was concerned a while ago, that I might get hurt if I jump out of the window… It felt so nice…_

_I wonder what are the others doing. Ever since I left them, they have gone berserk, knowing that the succeeding mayor is missing. _He grinned. _Maybe I should let Hatori take my place for a while…_

He laughed silently. _I wonder too much but I think it's normal. I mean, all of these happened so quickly. Days ago, I was in the Sohma mansion, eating my leak soup. Now I'm sitting here under the tree near a peasants house!_

_Wait a second. That sounds rude. I shouldn't call them peasants. They already helped me a lot… well, only Honda-san helped me a lot. Maybe I establish something that could make her happy._

_Hey, sounds a good start to be a great leader. I'll tell everyone that the word "peasant" will be banned for the next generations._

Nice… and I come up with this idea because I thought about one girl… 

_One girl…_

"Psst! Yuki-kun!" Tohru whispered loudly. "Over here!"

Yuki looked up and saw Tohru waving at him. He got up from his seat and climbed his way up.

"I've been calling you for five times already. Were you concentrating so hard on something?" she asked him as he sat on the floor beside her.

"A little. Please don't worry too much, Honda-san." He smiled at her. 

"I'm not worrying too much. It's just that… it's very unusual for somebody so weak to climb in and out of the window. You sure are something stronger than I thought." She giggled. 

"Well, maybe you don't know much about me." He replied.

"Ne, our bed is ready. You can go to sleep now. I need to talk to Uo-san about something." She stood up and went towards the door. Before she could even open it, it opened and the young man downstairs came in.

"Your friend told me that I should sleep here." He grumbled.

"EH?" she said surprisingly.

"Don't worry I won't be a---" He stopped talking once his eyes caught Yuki on the corner. "YUKI?!"

"Haru-san…" Yuki stared at the Sohma. _What is he doing here?!_

Tohru stared at Yuki then to the mystery guy. _How come they know each other? Okaa-san, Oto-san… What does this mean? Are they related to each other???_


	4. 4

_To all the readers,_

_I mention at the first chapter that I would base this story to Puss in Boots, a classic fairy tale (But it's not that popular, I think,) but due to some ideas I cannot ignore, I don't know if I'm going to follow its original storyline. But I'll try._

_Oh what the heck! On with the story!_

"Yuki? What are you---" Haru began but surprisingly, he was out of words.. "How did you--- How can you--- Who is--- Why did you---"

"Ah… Honda-san, this is Sohma Haru." Yuki quickly said. "Remember what I told you a while ago that I have a friend who is a Sohma? Well here he is."

"Nice to meet you, friend of Yuki-kun." She bowed. "I'm Honda Tohru---"

"What?! I'm only a friend to you?!" Haru yelled. "What happened to you?! Did you have amnesia or something?!"

"Haru-san, old _pal,_" Yuki glared at him. "There's so much we need to talk about." He smiled at Tohru. "It's a private _male _matter, Honda-san."

"A-Ah! I see. I'll leave now." She exited through the door and closed it behind her.

_Another Sohma…. _She thought silently. _I've seen so much Sohmas in one day. Kisa… Hatori-san… and… Haru… I wonder why did this Haru get angry after Yuki called him pal. It doesn't sound right at all…_

"What's going on?!" Haru asked.

"Listen. I haven't mentioned to her that I'm a Sohma." Yuki said quickly. "And I have no intention to tell her that because she might freak out and…"

"And…?"

"I don't want her to freak out. I want her to know that I'm there for her and…"

"And…?" Haru whispered.

"Are you even listening to me?!" 

Haru grinned at his cousin. "This… is _never _like you."

"I know. But ever since I heard the conversation between Akito and Hatori, I couldn't think any longer… about being a Sohma, inheriting something that costs millions, dominating every land and…" Yuki sighed heavily. "And now I realized how hard it is when you're not rich."

"So… that means Kyou was right." Haru said. "You ran away_---"_

"I _left---"_

"---**_ran away_ **and left your position in the Sohma mansion… for good."

"Yes…" Yuki sighed once more. "I just want some time alone."

"But you're putting Kyou on the line. Everyone blames him." Haru looked out of the window.

"Do you blame him?"

"Why should I? I can see now the truth behind everything." He glanced at his cousin. "What made you ran away?"

"I… can't tell you now…" Yuki whispered. "But all I know is that I can't go back yet."

"What are you going to do? Stay here and be a peasant forever???"

"I don't know… Haru-san…" Yuki looked at his cousin. "But can you go back to the mansion for me, just to see that everyone is ok?"

"Sure, I'll be leaving tomorrow." Haru sat down at the floor next to him. "And this girl…… do you like her?"

The nezumi smiled. "Maybe… I want to help her about something." He replied. "She needs money."

"Then give her some."

"Then she'll know that I'm rich! I can't just do that!"

"Got any other ideas???" Haru asked him. 

"Well… I could ask some help with somebody…" Yuki grinned.

"Uo… I think it's not nice when that guy just shoved Tohru out of the room." Hanajima whispered as she stared blankly at the window. "It's not… respectful…"

"That's it! I'm going to kick him out of the house!" Uotani stood up but Tohru reached out to stop her.

"No, it's fine… he said it's some male business so…" _And there's somebody else up there!_

"But Tohru, he just,,, _dominated _your room!" she said angrily. "And he's just a guest!"

"He's a Sohma…" Both girls whispered. Uo sat back down and stared at them.

"A SOHMA?! In my house?! You got to be kidding me?!" 

"It's alright, Uo-san. I'll go upstairs now." Tohru stood up and went upstairs.

"Hana-san…" Uo whispered quickly. "Do you think it's safe for Tohru to sleep with someone like him, a Sohma?"

"Fate…is fond…of seeing…" Hana whispered slowly. "…sacrifices… blood… cries…evil---"

"You're not helping!!!"

_Yuki-kun! Where are you?! Answer me!_

_Is he here? Have you seen him?_

_I know he's here a while ago_

_Then you should have watched him very carefully, Kyou!_

_But---_

_Because of you, we lost a Sohma._

_Stop saying that! Yuki's not yet dead! We still can find him!_

_You there, have you seen anything?_

_No not really…_

_Damn, where could he be???_

_Shigure! Stop gazing at the waterfall. Come down here or you'll end up dead---_

_Hatori, I think Yuki's not in the forest…_

_Then where is he???_

_…_

_…you're insane! He can't jump from here! He could die once he lands down there. Those are sharp rocks below the waterfall!_

_I know… but there's no other way he could… disappear…_

_Am I dead?_

_Am I going to live?_

_What is my reason to live?_

_Is it to lead a nation… to see others as somebody lower than I am?_

_To see them suffer?_

_AM I worthy enough to do such task?_

_Should I do it?_

_Yuki…_

_Yuki-kun!_

_Yuki-kun! Wake up!_

Yuki opened his eyes and saw Tohru's large innocent eyes staring at him.

"You're… having a nightmare… right?" she asked worriedly. "I mean… you were tossing and turning in your sleep and… you were calling some names and…"

Yuki sat up and smiled at the girl next to him. "Yes, I was having a nightmare. Thank you for waking me up." __

She smiled at him. "Okaa-san told me that the best way to calm yourself after a nightmare in the middle of the night is to enjoy a cup of coffee. Do you want some?" she asked.

"Ne, I don't drink coffee." He replied calmly. "But if you can fix a hot chocolate for me, that would be nice."

"Hai! I'll get it right away!" she stood and left him alone in the room.

_That was the weirdest dream ever. Maybe that happened after I jumped from the waterfall._

_They are all so worried about me… I hope they are alright._

_What does this mean? That I need to go back? To do what must be done? To finish something that I cannot ignore?_

_Damn, I don't know what to do…_

His eyes caught something on the floor next to him. It was a piece of note scribbled in small cursive letters. He picked it up and read the message.

_I need to go ahead of you. Sorry. If you really want to help this girl, just remember that you are a Sohma and Sohmas can attract crowds. She'll notice that so keep your guard down._

_If you think that your idea is right and effective, good luck then. I'll be telling Hatori that you're ok._

_I'll see you soon. Haru Sohma._

He smiled after he read the note. He surprisingly saw a small phrase below the paper.

_PS. I also think that this Tohru is very cute… and helpful. She even fixed me a cup of chocolate before I left. I kinda like her and I know that you also do._

"Haru…" he chuckled. 

The next day, Tohru woke up very early and packed her things up.

"A job?!" Uotani laughed. "Tohru, you're too young to have a job. Besides, why so sudden???"

"I'm a Honda and I need to pay the expenses that my father left." She said quickly as she gathered her things and headed towards the door. "Thank you so much for letting me stay for the night. I promise I'll return here if I had no one to talk to. I promise I'll write and I'll call when I need anything. I'll just see you guys soon. Bye!" she closed the door behind her.

Uo stood there speechlessly after her friend left. "She didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye."

"She'll be ok…" Hanajima whispered. "But… I sense something---"

"Shut up, Hanajima Saki!"

"Sorry!" Tohru panted as she met Yuki at a nearby gift shop. "I'm so late…"

"It's ok." He smiled. "Hey, I need to make a phone call. Can you just wait for me here?" he asked her.

"Yes, it's ok! I'll just see some gift items inside."

"Ok. I'll see you. Just stay here, ok? I'll be back." He left her inside the shop.

Tohru went inside the gift shop and stared at the small figurines on the table. "AH! Jyunishi figurines! They're so cute…" 

"Really?" she heard a girl's voice behind her. She looked around and saw a very familiar little girl standing behind her. Both of them stared at each other for a minute.

"Kisa-chan???"

"Onee-chan…" Kisa replied.

"Oh my! How did you get here???" Tohru kneeled so that she's about Kisa'a level.

"Uh… I took a ride… from the mansion---"

"With me." Tohru looked up and saw a young man with a long silvery hair. He smiled at her warmly. "Ah, you must be Honda Tohru. Kisa talked about you a lot and… true, you ARE an image of beauty."

"Eh?" she blushed lightly.

"Ne-chan, this is Sohma Ayame-san." Kisa whispered. "He really adores women with a beautiful faces, like you."

"EH??? Kisa-chan!" she blushed even more. "I'm not beautiful as you think---"

"NONSENSE! Look at you!!!" Ayame reached out to make her stand. "You are **_magnificent_**. A perfect replica of a true woman! You should be famous! You can't put this beauty into waste!"

"But---"

"Do you have a job?" Ayame asked her handsomely.

"Ano, not yet." She smiled. "But I'm trying to---"

"Then come with me! I can make you famous and rich with the help of my sewing skills and your smile to the human race!"

"EH???" _This is so confusing!_

"Ayame-san weaves clothes." Kisa whispered.

"Not just any clothes, I weave the best robes of the monarch family around the world. Trust me, I can help you as much I can help myself." He smiled. "I've been looking for a female model for months and heaven finally sent me an angel to guide me."

"Please, ne-san, all you have to do was to wear his clothes and pose on the camera. It's nothing else." Kisa whispered. 

Tohru thought for a while. _This way I could get money and at the same time, be famous. I remember what Yuki-kun said, you don't need to have a job just to get money. All you need is to be famous._

"I'll take it." She said enthusiastically. "I'll be your model."

"EXCELENT! Then what are we waiting for? We should get started already!" Ayame held her hand and went outside.

"Where are we going?" Tohru asked.

"I need to take your measurements soon. I'm so excited I wanted to start right now!" he said happily.

"But I'm waiting for someone---"

"Then let this someone wait. You're going to be famous soon and I know he won't mind that." He yelled at her. "Don't let him be a hindrance to your career!"

"Don't worry, ne-san. I'm sure this somebody will understand you." Kisa said happily. She opened the door of the carriage and smiled at Tohru. "Please come inside."

"Go! GO! **GO!** We haven't got all day!" Ayame gently pushed her inside and went in after her. "To my house immediately!" 

"Yes, sir." The servant replied.

"This is going to be fun!" Ayame clapped her hands.

"Where are you Yuki?! Answer me!" Yuki heard the voice at the other end of the line. "Are you ok? Are you feeling well?!"

"I'm fine, Hatori-san." Yuki replied calmly. "I just want some time alone."

"We need you here now!" 

"I want this freedom… I don't want Akito to control me again… I can make my own decisions…"

"I know." Hatori sighed. "But everyone here is worried about you, even Akito is. Please just come back when you're ready, ok?" 

"Of course I will. I'm a Sohma." Yuki whispered.

"Good. But I want to talk to you. Can I meet you somewhere?"

"I don't know about that." He looked at his watch. "Look, I have to go. Someone is waiting for me."

"Who? A peasant?" Hatori asked firmly. "What are you thinking? Making friends with a peasant won't take you anywhere!"

"…you're wrong. Because this girl… made me happy… made me special… I'm sorry, Hatori-san. I need to go." He hung up.

"So, it's a coincidence…" he heard a voice behind him. "I guess I'm a bit lucky today."

Yuki looked around and saw somebody he knew. "…Kyou."

  
  



	5. 5

"What the heck are you doing here, Baka neko?!" Yuki asked angrily as his mood swiftly changed when his eyes caught him. 

Kyou grinned at him. "I was sent here to find you."

"Find me? Oh yeah, I was _missing_." Yuki mumbled.

"I covered you up **for once**. But now, I had enough. Hatori kept on blaming me because of everything!!!"

"That's what you get when you're near a crime scene." Yuki replied smoothly.

"Nan de—I was there to talk to you not to spy on you and kill you, dammit!" Kyou yelled at him. His fists clenched tightly. "Do you have any idea what I suffered for three days since you left?! I was even forced to kneel in front of Akito and apologize!"

The nezumi chuckled. "Neko-san, you're a Sohma and it's normal for us to kneel in front of him and apologize one we did something wrong---"

"I—haven't—done—anything—wrong!!! And it's not normal for me, remember?!" His eyes were fixed at him. "Look, you should come with me now, or else---"

"Or else what?" Yuki stared at him. "Are you asking for a fight, neko-san?"

"Fine, then. Step outside." He said firmly and determinedly. Yuki followed his order sarcastically and grinned at himself. _This would take a while, Honda-san. Please wait for me a bit longer---_

Before Yuki could even think any further, Kyou hit him hard in the back, knocking him out unconsciously.

"Just stand still." Ayame pulled out a measuring tape and smiled at her. "This will take a while."

"A—hai!" she nodded as she stood stiffly in front of him.

"Good girl." He whispered as he bent down to get her waistline.

"Who's she?" a boy came in inside the room. Kisa eyed him. "Oh, hi, Kisa-san."

"Hello, Hiro-san." She greeted. "Ne-san, this is Sohma Hiro. He's our cousin…again."

"Ah…" she breathed out. _Another Sohma? Okaa-san, how come my destiny falls like this? I feel like I'm destined to meet every Sohma in the world. _She smiled at her thought. _If that happens, then I'm the luckiest person alive!_

Ayame looked up and saw her smiling. "Keep it that way." He said quickly.

"EH?"

"Your smile. Keep it that way." He stood up and measured her neckline. "That way, you could keep your face pretty and neat every day."

She blushed lightly while Hiro laughed.

"Pretty?!" he roared. "How could she look pretty if she looks dumb in the first place?!"

"HIRO-SAN!" Kisa glared at him. "Don't tease ne-san like that?"

"Kisa, since when did she become your sister?" Hiro looked at her. "But, honestly, there's no way she can be your sister… or even become one of us."

"Hiro, keep quiet!" Ayame whispered firmly as he raised her arms to get her bustline.

"Really, you're wasting your time in this rubbish. Even if you become famous because of those clothes, people will look on the clothes and not to you, because you look dumb." Hiro pressed.

"That's it. You're insulting not only my model but also my work." Ayame dropped and tape measure and glared at him. "Clothes make the wearer beautiful not only in the physical appearance. It also shows what a person is within. Clothes match their wearers because it matches their internal personality, something that was kept inside them secretly. And you, Hiro, are insulting her because she looks stupid?! Why?! Have you known her?! Have you seen her before? You just met her! So stop insulting such person!"

"Ayame-san, Hiro-san, please don't fight…" Tohru said quickly. _Honestly speaking, they're fighting because of me! I'm not that pretty, you know!_

"If you want to insult somebody, talk to the mirror! That way, you'll feel what Tohru-san feels!" Ayame said firmly once more.

Hiro smirked as he left the room. Both girls sighed heavily. 

"That boy won't learn." Ayame sighed. "Let's get back to work, ne, Tohru-san?"

"Ayame-san… I think Hiro-san's right. Maybe I don't deserve to be here." She said sadly.

"Tohru-chan, don't think like that. And don't get carried away by his words. Believe me, you're suitable for this." Ayame explained softly. "People always tell me that the model I should choose are those pretty rich girls that do nothing but brag about their money and jewelry. But I don't like their taste and those women tried to much just to get attention."

"Ayame-san---"

"But you, my dear, caught my attention better and faster than them. SO please believe me." He smiled warmly. "It's not that I can make you rich or anything but in this way, people will respect you like the way I do right now."

"I don't know if---"

"Ne-san, please stay." Kisa begged. "You're doing great and it has already started. Please…"

"I will be very happy if you stay." Ayame stared at her eyes and she stared at his. Eventually she smiled at him.

"Nobody called me pretty the way you do." She whispered shyly. "I'm very thankful… even if we just met."

"Tohru-san, as long as you're this close to me, you can count me as a friend and I won't fail to protect you." He assured once more. "Plus, I like teenage girls around me. It feels like the old days once more---"

"AYAME-SAN!!!" Kisa glared.

"But really, I've never seen such innocent beauty." He smiled once more. "So, are you going to stay?"

"… ok, we'll continue." Tohru replied happily.

This is the weirdest thought… 

_But, Okaa-san…_

_He sounded so much like Yuki-kun,.._

_I wonder where he is right now…_

"Hatori-san," he approached the doctor's office and opened the door for himself. "Can I come in?"

_"What's wrong, Yuki?"_

_"I want to discuss something about this order."_

_"What order?" the doctor asked. "You mean, **the** order?"_

_"There's no other order that Akito appointed to you rather than that." He pressed but tried to maintain his calmness._

_"SO, what do you want to talk about? DO you have any other suggestions?"_

_"Actually, I'm against it."_

_"What?!"_

Hatori blinked and found himself staring at the ceiling for too long. He rubbed his eyes and thought about what he remembered. _It was Yuki… talking about the order that Akito shared to me…and he actually said in my face… that he was against it?_

_Is this the reason why you left us, Yuki?_

"Hatori-san." Kagura knocked at the door. "You have mail."

"Nonsense, Kagura." He chuckled as he looked at her. "That's why there's a telegram and a telephone around. That way, people won't spend writing legibly---"

"HA—TO—RI—SAN!" Kagura said firmly. "I'm not a maid and I'm sick of your orders and Shigure's senseless lectures. I told you, you have _written _mail! I found it in front of our house." She threw the letter on the table. "Probably came from a peasant postman or somewhere far away from here or something."

Hatori wore his glasses as he stared at the letter. It was slightly moist and even so, the writing is very readable. There was no written address from the sender but in the middle, the name HATORI SOHMA was written.

"Can I share something?" Kagura asked.

"Sure."

"Even if I haven't met him for a long time, possibly for four years, I know when a handwriting came from a Sohma or not." Kagura continued. "And believe me, this came from a Sohma."

"Yuki?" he asked quickly.

"No, it's someone else… probably, Momiji." She whispered. "Yes, I think it's Momiji's"__

"Momiji?" _Why would Momiji write to me?_

Yuki opened his eyes and tried to struggle from his current position. He thought he was lying down on the ground and expected that Kyou was just right above him, ready to knock him out again for the second time.

But he was wrong.

He was lying down on a smooth bed but he knew it wasn't from Tohru's. He sat up quickly and saw a person beside him.

And, thank God, it wasn't Kyou. 

"I hope you still can breath." Haru whispered.

"Haru-san… what are you…" he whispered but he felt that he was out of breath. He calmed down for a while to regulate his breathing. 

Haru handed him a glass of water. "This can make you feel better." He said.

Yuki took the glass and drank every last drop of water in it. After that, he sighed heavily and looked at his cousin. "What am I doing here--- no, what are you doing here---no, how did I get here in the first place?"

Haru chuckled after he searched the right question to ask him. "I decided to walk around in the village and I found Kyou beating you up in the middle of the road. I thought that was normal, but I figured out that it wasn't a fair fight because you're unconscious so I pulled Kyou away from you and nursed you to health."

"Nursed me?" He looked down and found bandages covered around his chest and waist. "Was I hurt that bad?" 

"Well, I came in the right time, so I guess you survived." He replied. "Kyou's downstairs and he's also waiting for the right time to apologize."

"You mean, _hurt me again_." Yuki mumbled.

"As long as you're ok, he won't stop hurting you. Just pretend you're dead." Haru laughed.

Yuki looked around his room. "Where are we?"

"Oh, this is Momiji's house. Pretty neat, huh?" 

Momiji… right, he left the Sohma mansion and build his own home near the village. 

_But I feel strange. If I'm in Momiji's house, that means he must have informed Hatori already._

_I must leave now!_

"Ayame-san, what's that?" Ayame held up a simple whit gown in front of her. "Is this the dress?"

"Of course not, my little naughty angel!" Ayame cheered. "This is only a draft, maybe something very similar to your everyday dress. I guess this is your size."

"What should I do with it?"

"Wear it, of course! That way, I'll only copy the measurements." He handed the dress to Tohru. "Go on, go on! The dressing room is that way!" He pointed towards the end of the hall.

"Hai, thank you so much, Ayame-san." She bowed low.

He chuckled happily. "Ne, you haven't seen the real magic yet." He winked. "I'll be waiting, my little angel! Please hurry back!"

She blushed once more as she walked towards the room that Ayame showed her. She opened the door and let herself in. 

Momiji stood by the doorway and smiled. "How are you doing, Yuki-kun?"

"Momiji-san!" Yuki stood up. "Have you told Hatori about me?!"

"Well… it's normal for a Sohma to tell where they are so---"

"Dammit, I have to leave now!" Yuki grabbed his clothes and went towards the door.

"Where are planning to go?!" Momiji yelled. "Back to that village?"

"Yes, and what are you going to do about it?" Yuki turned to look at the young one.

"All I'm saying is that I already informed Hatori that you're here so, right now, he's on the road." Momiji frowned. "If you're planning to disappear again, could you at least tell me where are you going and what are you planning to do?"

Yuki walked away. "I'm not planning to tell anything to anyone unless I'll understand it myself."

"Understand what?" Momiji asked.

"Why sensei left us." He huskily whispered.

"Could I at least go with you?" Haru caught up to him and stared at him. "You're still hurt and you might collapse or something."

"I can manage, thank you." Yuki left the house. Momiji and Haru stood there silently.

"What are we going to do?" Haru asked his cousin.

"Wait. He'll return."

"Why?"

Momiji turned to go to his office. "Because this is his second home and he has nowhere to go except here."

Kyou was on his way back to the Sohma mansion when his eyes caught something at the other end of the road.

It was the private Sohma pick-up, Hatori's carriage.

Don't tell me this is Hatori… He'll scold me again.

_I bet Momiji told him about what I did to that nezumi. Damn him. Damn them all._

As the horses galloped faster, Kyou couldn't think of any reason to tell to Hatori.

Sorry, Tori-san. I just got carried away. I don't know… damn, this is driving me nuts. I'll be forced to bow again to that… pest clan head…

TO his surprise, the carriage swiftly passed him and straight to other side of the road. Kyou turned around and stared at it in confusion.

"Did Hatori forget that I'm a Sohma in the middle of the road???" He yelled out loud.

Hatori sat on his seat worriedly as he clutched Momiji's letter on his hand.

Yuki, don't leave again. I need to talk to you… just to straighten things out. 

Tohru, with the white dress on, approached a nearby table in that room. There she found pictures of Ayame in his younger years. But to her surprise, Ayame was clutching someone close to him when he was young.

A young lad that looked just like him.

"Must be his brother." She whispered. On the wall, there she saw Ayame with another boy younger than him sitting at the foot of a large tree in autumn. Ayame looked cheerful but the boy isn't. 

After that, she noticed letter carved at the picture frame itself.

_Even though a lot of years had passed, I still don't know how to say such simple words like 'I love you' to you, my dear brother. But now, I already found the answer._

_I love you, my dear Yuki_

Tohru jumped at her place. "Yuki?" she whispered to herself. _Okaa-san, Yuki-kun is… Ayame-san's brother??? He's a Sohma???_


	6. 6

Tohru stared at picture closely and carefully. _Oh God, he looks like Yuki-kun… of course, he is Yuki-kun, stupid!!! It's just me who is playing silly. But… how come he never told me? If he's a Sohma, he should head back to the mansion… but why is he still here???_

_Kami-sama, this is so confusing!!!_

"Tohru-kunnnnn~!" Ayame cheered behind the door. "DO you need any help in there???"

"Ah! No, I'm fine! I'm done actually." She looked at the picture again before she arranged herself. "I'm coming out!"

There must be a misunderstanding. Must not panic. Do not panic, Honda Tohru. This is all a misunderstanding. 

_Or is it???_

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Uo asked Yuki, one more time. He leaned against the door, breathless and speechless.

"She's not here???" Yuki asked quickly.

"MY GOD! If she _was _here, I won't be wasting my voice in yelling at you, dummy!" Uo growled. "I don't know who you are or what do you know about her. All I know is that Tohru left this morning and never returned since! Now get the hell out of here or I'll call---"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Yuki left the house.

"Dammit, why are people nowadays are such in a hurry?" she whispered. "Can you believe this guy? He didn't even mention his name!"

"… he had the same… wavelength… the presence as that Sohma… I fear… something…" Hanajima whispered in a low voice.

"For the first time, I agree with you." Uo grinned. _Who is that guy anyway? _

"PERFECT!!!" Ayame cheered loudly as he guided her in front of a tall mirror. "You are truly the best model I ever hired. Look at you! Praise yourself! You are very unique! Such undefined beauty---"

"Ayame-san, I think I had enough praises for one day." She smiled weakly.

"Are you ok? Is something wrong?" Ayame placed his hand over her small forehead to check her temperature.

"You shouted at her too much, Aya-san." Kisa scolded him.

"I did not!" he disagreed. "I just… just praised her, that's all! Right, my little princess?" he looked at her for any sign of affirmation.

Unknowingly, she slowly collapsed on his arms and… (You know what happens)…

**POOF!**

"Yuki is alive!" Kagura asked her cousin.

"Yes, he is." Kyou replied blankly as he sat on the couch and relaxed for a while.

"I can't believe it." She sighed. "I though that we'll lose a cousin."

"Yuki?" he laughed. "You got to kidding me. Nezumi always survives at any obstacle. Sensei trained him to be the best."

"Really?" she eyed him mysteriously. "SO that means, you accepted him as someone _better_ than you?"

"WHAT? NEZUMI?! _YOU_ got to be kidding me?!" he laughed again, this time, in a more lower voice. "We haven't finished the other fight yet. There's plenty of time to beat him."

"Kyou-kun, why won't you relax for a while and let Yuki have some peace?"

"We were destined to fight, not welcome each other with open arms and saying, I love you, I miss you, I would do anything for you, and all the other mushy stuff you see on TV." He growled.

"Well, let's see if you could punch him when Hatori is around." Kagura smiled as she left him alone to sleep.

"Where is he?" Hatori barged inside the Momiji's house. 

"He left…a few minutes ago." Haru replied.

"Damn, he's so fast." The doctor hissed at himself. "Any idea where he is going?"

"He never told us anything… except that he mention sensei."

"Kazuma…" he eventually left the house and went back to the carriage.

"Why is everyone leaving me?" Haru whispered.

Yuki silently walked across the alley, alone once more. _Honda-san… where are you?_

"Yuki?" 

The nezumi looked up and saw a very unusual person to see.

"Hiro-san…" he replied.

"You're alive."

"You're here… not in the mansion…" _But why?_

"Tohru-chan? My little angel, please wake up."

Tohru opened her eyes and saw Ayame kneeling beside her. He had his shirt hanging loosely on one side and he had only his underclothes on. Even so, her eyes caught his worried ones the most.

"Are you alright? Do you feel something wrong?" he asked her.

"N-No, this is nothing, Ayame-san." She smiled. "I'm fine… I'm sorry, I must have worried you too much."

"Yes, you did." He grinned. "Get up. You'll catch cold if you'll lie on the cold for too long." He held out his hand and she grabbed on to it. Just as she felt herself standing, Kisa came in.

"Are you alright, ne-san?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes, I think so." _I must have been worrying too much… about Yuki-kun, my career and Sohmas. _

Ayame stared at her worriedly. "You must have been really tired. Why don't you rest for a while? I'll show you to your room."

"No! I'm fine! If you still need me then---"

"Tohru-chan, I already got your measurements. It's ok. You can rest." He said it as smoothly as possible. "Kisa will guide you instead if you want."

"C'mon, Ne-san…" Kisa held her hand and guided her towards the room at the end of the hall.

"Oh before that." Ayame called out. "Did you remember anything before you collapsed?"

"What do you mean?" Tohru looked at him curiously. 

"No… I mean, did you noticed something unsual before you passed out like… an animal came out or something?" Ayame asked worriedly.

"Um… all I remembered was… I felt dizzy and I collapsed on your arms and… the next thing I knew is that you're already looking down on me on the floor." She explained. "Did I miss something?"

"N-No, it's perfectly fine." Ayame shook his head. "Please rest Honda-san."

"Hai." She smiled before she went out of the room, leaving Ayame alone. With that, he let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." He hissed.

Yuki stood in front of a huge house in front of him. He finally reached his destination.

_"You're not coming back?!" Hiro yelled at him._

_"You're concerned?"_

_"Of course I am! Everybody is worried sick about you! Yuki, you need to understand!!!" _

_"I know, but I need to meet Sensei before I set a foot at that mansion again." Yuki explained._

_"Sensei? He's still here?" Hiro stared at him. "I thought he left the village years ago, since Akito already bought it."_

_"Really? Do you know where he lives?"_

_"Sure---"_

_"Before anything, Hiro," Yuki looked at him firmly and sternly. "Don't mention to anyone that I'm still alive, ok?"_

_"Why?"_

_"No time for questions. JUST PROMISE ME!"_

_"Alright." Hiro mumbled. "But I'll tell you, everyone will do anything just to make you come back."_

_"Just tell me where to find Sensei and I'll be back in no time."_

_"Are you sure?" Hiro asked again._

_"Yes, I'll be back."_

He stared at the house again. _Am I going to keep my promise? I still have to meet Honda-san… I still need to see her…just to make sure that I would even say goodbye and thank you once more. _

_Where are you, Honda-san?_

"I'm right all along." A voice came. "You decided to go here for answers."

Yuki spun around and stared at the person behind him. "Hatori-san…"

Hatori chuckled. "You've grown, Yuki."

"It's been three days _only_"

"Yes I know. But your eyes," the doctor gazed at him. "It's like you've seen a lot."

"How can you tell?"

"I'm a doctor, Yuki." He replied coolly.

Yuki stared at the ground, or at anything besides Hatori's eyes. _What is he doing here?_

"Kazuma left a few days ago." Hatori whispered.

"Why?" 

"Akito's orders."

"I see." Yuki breathed out.

"Why do you want to meet him?"

"It's none of your business." He said quickly.

"I understand that you have your own private thoughts, but now, as you can see, I already read your mind that you wanted to meet Kazuma." Hatori said firmly. "If you try to run away again, I swear I won't find you again."

"That's perfectly alright for me." Yuki replied blankly. Both men didn't say anything for a few minutes. But as soon as Yuki moved an inch, Hatori looked up to him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to run away again."

"Please don't." Hatori whispered. "Please come back to the mansion."

"No." Yuki said finally. "I won't be going back to the mansion until I hear answers."

"Answers to what?"

"To that phone call from Akito." He eyed the doctor. "He's planning something and I overheard it. As the next successor, I won't allow anyone to do such thing---"

"But you are still an ordinary Sohma, Yuki. I understand what you said but Akito is plainly unstoppable. Even I can't handle him and… I think he's wrong… for now." Hatori explained.

Yuki chuckled lightly. "Are you saying that you're on my side?"

"I'm not saying anything."

"Fine, then I'm leaving."

"You won't find Kazuma anywhere… and you have no other place to go." The doctor pressed those words clearly to his cousin. "Where are you going?"

"You'll find me in Momiji's house." Yuki replied.

"Why do you have to stay there?"

"I don't want to see Akito yet. I'm planning something first." The nezumi looked at the doctor. "Just promise me not to tell him where I am."

"As long as you remain safe with Momiji, I won't say a word to him. But remember, his eyes are everywhere and you don't know who are his informants."

"I know. I'll be careful." Yuki nodded. "Besides, I need to find Honda-san."

Hatori felt his head twitch when he heard the name. "What did you say?"

"Oh nothing. I'm looking for someone that I promise to meet." He smiled. "It was nice meeting you again Hatori-san." After that he left the doctor on the middle of the road.

Hatori never moved an inch since Yuki left him. _I know that I'm a bit tired… and old. But I heard perfectly that he mentioned about meeting this… Honda-san._

_Honda… Tohru-san._

_Could it be the same peasant that I met days ago?_


	7. 7

"You? Sleeping with me?!" Yuki yelled.

"I'm your cousin." Haru tossed himself sleepily towards Yuki's bed. "Nothing will happen."

"Of course, nothing will happen, pervert!!!" the nezumi quickly said. "God, of all the rooms in the house, why did you choose _my _room?!"

"Hey, I was ordered to do this." Haru smiled wickedly at the nezumi. "And besides, Momiji didn't mind."

"How about me?!"

"Listen, it'll be fine, just for one night. Tomorrow I'll be going back to the Sohma mansion." He tucked himself under the white bed sheets. "Go to sleep Yuki. It's late."

Yuki rolled his eyes as he laid himself down beside Haru. _Why am I doing this?!_

_I wonder how Honda-san is doing. If she's not in Uo's house, then where could she be?_

"Goodnight, ne-san." Kisa smiled.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? I mean…" Tohru replied shyly. "It's a big bed, anyway and… you can sleep beside me…"

Kisa chuckled lightly. "Ne-san, are you afraid?"

"N-NO! It's not that!"

She laughed even harder. "Ok. I'll sleep with you… but for one night only. I'll be going back to the mansion tomorrow."

"You mean… you're leaving me already?!"

"Ayame-san is a very good person." Kisa smiled sleepily. "Let's go to sleep, ne-san." She cuddled beside Tohru and to her deep sleep.

Tohru wondered for a while before she dosed off. _This Sohmas… they are very good people… I wonder…_

_…where is Yuki-kun right now…_

"Why did you call at this time of the night, Aya-san?" Gure's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Gure-san… I have found an angel sent down from heaven!" Ayame held the handset very close to his ear to emphasize the word "Angel".

"… have you been reading those magazines again?"

"No, I mean it… and she's staying here with me!"

"Aya-san, you mean…" Shigure gasped. "She's sleeping with you?!"

"NO! I mean inside the house. She has a room on her own and… she's very pretty." Ayame smiled mysteriously. "I believe that you would definitely be inspired once you see her."

"Really?" the inu's voice sounded like he's interested. "Will she be staying there until tomorrow?"

"Yes, she's my model."

"OK! I'll be seeing this _angel_ tomorrow." Shigure said cheerfully. "Bye, Aya-san!"

"Goodnight, Gure."

Hatori lit his last cigarette and threw the box on the trash. He stared at his working table and to the window. It was raining again and this made him remember a lot. _Yuki… he said about this girl…_

_I wonder if she knows…_

_If she does…_

_I have to find her…_

The next morning, Yuki found himself alone on the bed with a note beside him.

_Gone to Sohma mansion. Don't wander too far if you're planning to find Tohru._

_Haru._

"Good morning, Yuki." Momiji freely entered the room. "So, what are you planning to do now?"

"Me? Well…" Yuki stared at the note and smiled. "I need your help."

Kagura hummed cheerfully as she picked up Kyou's discarded clothes and placed them in a basket. "I'm done with him… next is Hatori's room…"

She walked briskly towards the end of the hall and was about to knock at the door when she heard a voice yelling from inside.

"I have to tell Ayame about this!"

In an instant, the door opened and Shigure dashed out of the doctor's room, almost knocking the basket that Kagura was holding.

"Hey watch it!" she yelled.

"Sorry!" He said quickly before he disappeared at the end of the hall.

"What was that about?" Kagura asked as she entered Hatori's room.

He leaned back at his chair and smiled. "I haven't told Gure about Yuki."

"And?"

"And he decided to tell Ayame about it, since I haven't told Ayame about that too." Hatori reached out for the morning papers and started to read the front page.

"I thought Yuki didn't want anyone to know that he's alive."

"Kagura," the doctor stared at her. "We Sohmas have this bond that makes us similar to one another. Once the bond is broken, we would know that instantly because we can feel it through the curse. Now, we don't feel that depressed because we don't feel incomplete. That is because Yuki is still alive."

"So, I think everybody deserves to know about Yuki." Hatori continued.

"_Everyone?_" Kagura eyed him.

He grinned at her. "…everyone, except Akito."

"Haru-san!!!" Kisa called out. 

Haru turned around and welcomed the little child in his arms. "Kisa-chan, how are you doing?" he held her tightly against him.

"Where are you going?"

"To the mansion." Haru declared. "Why?"

"The mansion is on the opposite road." She whispered.

"WHAT?! SO that why I'm going around in circles! Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to the gift shop." She smiled. "I'm looking for new figurines."

"The same old Kisa." He grinned. "Ok, I'm tagging along with you."

"Yey… wait a second." Kisa stopped. "Akito-san ordered you to find Yuki and you are not allowed to return unless you find him."

"Yes I did found him." he replied. "And he's alive."

"Alive?!

Haru looked at her surprisingly. "You don't know?"

Hiro entered the doors of the mansion and saw Kagura by the staircase. "Got nothing to do?"

"HIRO!" she yelled. "DO YOU KNOW THAT YUKI'S ALIVE?!"

"Yes." He replied blankly. "I even met him."

"Oh." She sighed. _Darn why is everybody always ahead of me?_

"Have you seen Kyou?"

"Yes." She smiled. "He's in his room."

"Really?" Hiro grinned at her. "SO that means there's another orange haired guy around here in the Sohma mansion because I saw one who passed by me."

"WHAT?!" _I forgot! Kyou-kun knows how to jump from high windows!_

_Why is everybody really ahead of me?! They even had the chance to leave this mansion while I suffer under Hatori's senseless orders!_

"Good morning Ayame…san?" Tohru looked around at Ayame's room. No one was there. "Where could he be?" _He must have left with Kisa. Of course, they are Sohmas. They need to be in the mansion for a while._

_Maybe I should fix lunch for Ayame-san… in case he comes back._

Tohru went towards the kitchen and surprisingly found a man dressed in green kimono on the table. He looked at her while she stood still at her place. 

He smiled at her warmly. "You must be Honda Tohru-san." He said. "Ayame mentioned you to me on the phone."

"W-Where… where is Ayame-san?" she whispered.

"Oh, he went out to buy some cloth. He forgot about…" he stopped and gazed at her more. "You… are so beautiful."

"Eh?"

He stood up and walked towards her while she stepped back until a wall was behind her. "Don't be scared. I'm Ayame's relative."

"Relative?" _Okaa-san, don't tell me that this is another Sohma!_

He reached out to caress her face lightly. "This is pretty awkward but…" He lowered his head to kiss her.

Tohru's eyes widened as he deepened the kiss. _No… this is…_

His hands reached out to hold her face as he enjoyed her reactions. Soon, she felt herself getting weak, like she was melting against him.

That was until her knees failed to carry her and she stumbled in front of him.

**POOF!**

Kagura stormed towards Hatori's room. "I want a break!"

Hatori was seriously holding the handset against his ear until Kagura came in. "What do you want?! I'm busy!" he said quickly.

"I just told you. I'm tired and I want a break---"

"Fine, go then. Just leave me alone." He yelled. "I have an important phone call so please go away?!"

"Ok… ok!" she said happily. "Thank you so much Hatori-san. Don't worry! I won't wander around too much." She left him alone in his office.

He sighed as he went back to his phone call. "Yes?"

"I would like to know what's going on in the mansion while I'm gone." A voice came.

"Empty as usual. But I assure you. We will be complete once you arrive." Hatori said slowly.

"Complete? You mean… Yuki is ok?!"

Hatori thought for a while and tried to maintain his cold tone. "We haven't found him yet."

"I want his body dead or alive once I get there! I want to see Yuki!" the voice yelled. "I want my Yuki once I return!"

"… yes," Hatori nodded obediently. "Of course, Akito-san."

_I don't know how long I can keep up to this?_

_How long will you hide from him, Yuki?_

_How long are you going to stay outside the Sohma mansion?_

Tohru blinked one more time. She even tried pinching herself. But still, her mind kept on telling her that she was not dreaming.

Or if she was dreaming, she would be awake by now, after all those pinching.

She stared at the dog that was in front of her. First, she saw a man and he was kissing her. Now, a dog appeared and the kimono was on the floor. No man. Just a dog.

Okaa-san… is this the curse of the Jyunishi? Does this mean that the Jyunishi curse is true… to Sohmas?

"Tohru, I'm…" Ayame came in but his eyes caught up with the obedient dog on the floor. "Gure-san?"

"Gure?" Tohru repeated. _Okaa-san, as I heard the rumors, I know that Gure is the name of a novelist, Shigure Sohma!_

_Another Sohma?!_


	8. 8

I'm really, really sorry if I'm writing so slow. I've been doing a lot of projects lately and… oh yes, I'm still in highschool, you see. But I kept on trying to fix my schedule just to give me some time to write.

_Well, here it goes._

"Hello?" Hatori picked up the phone to answer. "Momiji?"

"Yes, can we meet?" a voice answered.

"Now?"

"As soon as possible… in my house…"

"Ok."

"Um… Tohru-kun…" Ayame smiled. "Are you ok?"

"Is this real?" she asked as she poked the dog again. "I mean… I'm not dreaming, right?"

Shigure laughed at her reaction. "No of course not."

She jumped back in surprise. _Okaa-san, this happened to Yuki-kun also. So this means the Jyunishi curse is real… and it applies to…_

"You too, Ayame-san?" she looked at him.

"Eh… gomen." He laughed. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell you that because---"

"I might get scared that…you transform whenever you get too close to a girl."

Gure blinked when he heard that. "Peasant always knows things ahead than we do."

"Ah!" Ayame glared at his cousin. "Don't call her a peasant. She's my model and she's a precious being. She didn't deserve to be called a peasant!"

"You sounded like you adopted her or something."

Tohru nodded slightly. _That was so true. Ayame has been so protective._

"Yes, because I like her the way she is." He replied. He looked at the confused girl beside her. "Are you ok? Has my cousin hurt you in anyway?"

"Hurt?!" Shigure growled.

"He didn't hurt me, Ayame-san…well," she blushed lightly. "He did something unpredictable…" she lightly touched her lips.

Ayame gasped loudly. "HOW… DARE YOU!!!"

"Alright then, let's finish this."  Shigure said, ignoring Ayame's reaction.

"SHUT UP… you… you CHEATER!" he hissed. "YOU PROMISED THAT YOU WON'T KISS ANYONE UNLESS WE AGREE UPON IT. Now, you're planning to kiss my little angel without permission?!"

Okaa-san, Ayame-san is angry again… 

"I'm just taking my chances, Aya-san." The inu grinned. "Please forgive me, my dear cousin. It won't happen again."

"Why are you here anyway?" Ayame asked quickly, still angered,

"I'm here to tell you that Yuki is alive." Shigure said it before there was a **poof**, and he appeared as a human again.

"Yuki?! My little brother?!" Ayame shouted. "ALIVE!!! Where is he? Can I see him? Is he alright? Has he eaten lately? How is he doing? Can he talk? Of course, he talks!---"

"Aya-san, calm down." He patted his cousin. "He's with Momiji… I think…"

"Then let's go!" Ayame clapped his hand happily, "Finally, I had the chance to meet my brother once again!" He glanced around to look at Tohru. "Let's go, my little angel! We'll be meeting my brother!"

He found Tohru facing the wall, shaking. "Tohru?" he called out again. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Um… could you tell… Shigure-san… to…" she said slowly. "to get dressed?"

Shigure looked down to himself and laughed. "What the heck! I didn't know that was in a human form already---"

"GET DRESSED!" Ayame ordered. "Tohru-kun, don't turn around unless I said so, ok?"

"Ok…" _Okaa-san… I might meet Yuki again… _

_This Yuki… the same Yuki… at last, I'll be meeting him._

"Kyou!" Haru called out once he found Kyou alone in the middle of the road. "I was wondering if you could take me and Kisa back to the Sohma mansion."

Kyou approached his cousin and growled. "Sorry, I don't have the guts to go back to that place again."

"Why?" Kisa asked. "We're coming home and… you're not there?"

"Kisa," Kyou kneeled in front of her. "I need to go… because Akito is coming back."

"Really?" 

"Yes, I heard Hatori talking to him on the phone. It seems like very serious business and I think only him, Hatori and Yuki was the only one who knows about something." Kyou wondered. "It doesn't make sense, does it?"

After a few minutes, a carriage came and passed by them. Haru stared at it until it reached the end of the road.

"That's Hatori's ride… right?" Haru asked.

"Yes, and it's going back to that village." Kyou continued.

"No… I think… it's going to Momiji's house." Kisa wondered.

"What's going on?" the neko asked.

"I don't know." Haru grinned. "Let's go follow it!"

"Right…"

"Where are you going?" Hiro asked his cousin.

"I'm going to follow Hatori." Kagura grabbed her bag and shoes. "That phone call is so mysterious… and Hatori is talking very seriously about it…"

"When did you last see Hatori talk about nonsense?" Hiro mumbled. "It might be some dumb business proposal again. Leave him alone---"

"NO!" she declared. "I wanted to see what he is up to!"

"Ok…" Hiro whispered. "Suit yourself."

"And you're coming with me."

"I said SUIT YOURSELF! That means I'M NOT INVOLVED." Hiro growled.

"Cmon…" she grabbed his arm and headed towards the door. "I need somebody to talk to on the way. Momiji's house is far…"

"Momiji? Why are we going to Momiji's house?"

"Because he's going there, dummy! Now let's go!" she yelled.

"Ayame-san…" Tohru whispered. "DO I have to go?"

"Of course you do!" Ayame helped Tohru with her clothes. "You will get to meet my brother and he's a very handsome young lad, like me. Who knows? You might fall head over knees in love with him!"

"Ayame-san, should it be _head over heels?_"

"Yes, I know, dear, but Yuki is not as romantic as you think." He whispered on her ear. "He's quite a politic person. He agrees much more to himself than anyone else… just like Akito."

"Akito… THE Akito?" she asked.

"Yes, you're right. You see, Yuki is directly raised by Akito Sohma himself and well, as his brother, I'm very against it but it was too late." He continued. "I overheard that Yuki bought the village and became one of the most powerful people in the land and it was all… planned by Akito. He knew that Yuki would lead him to success that's why he never let him go, like a puppet following his master."

"But that was until Yuki left the mansion and ran away. We don't know why. Maybe it was something that Akito or Hatori said to him. But it has been three days and…" he sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit carried away. DO you even understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes… I think…" she whispered.

"Ok." He looked at her fully. "Finally, you're done dressing up. Let's go!"

"Ok…" she replied. _Okaa-san… everything went by so fast…_

"Where are you going?" Momiji asked. 

"Just outside." Yuki replied.

"No, stay here." The little one yelled. "I don't want you to wander around again."

"Why?"

"Because I'm already here." Hatori opened the door of Momiji's house and went inside.

"Hello, Hatori." Momiji cheered. "May I ask what's going on?"

"What?" the doctor asked. "What do you mean?"

"Akito's coming home…" Yuki glared at him. "He was supposed to be out for 5 months but it has only been 2 months."

"How did you know about that?" Hatori asked.

"I asked Kyou to spy on you." Momiji replied. "And he's _very_ good."

"what is this about, Hatori?" the nezumi asked again. This time, his voice had changed and Hatori's fully aware of that.

"Don't you care raise your voice when you're talking to me, Yuki."

"I have the right to say my opinion, Hatori."

"What are they talking about?" Haru asked. The three of them stopped by a nearby window in Momiji's house to spy on them.

"Quiet, I can't hear them!"Kyou hissed.

"I can't see…" Kisa whispered.

"Don't worry, Kisa. You'll get to see---"

"They're talking about something about… the order?" Kyou asked. "I'm not so sure…"

"Let's go in."

"What are you doing here?" a voice came. They turned around and saw Kagura and Hiro behind them.

"You should be back at the mansion, remember?!" Kyou hissed.

"Hatori gave me a break." Kagura replied silently.

"What?"

"A break."

"I heard you! I just… didn't know why he gave that to you…" Kyou wondered."

"Why are we all here?" Hiro asked.

"We're spying on Hatori." Kisa said.

"Same here. SO we should get inside the house for better observation."

"Ok, let's try the back door." Kagura hissed.

"Ok!" All of them agreed.

"Here we are!" Ayame cheered as he got off the carriage, followed by Tohru and Shigure. "Momiji's house."

Okaa-san, This Momiji lives in a very big house. Oh yes, no wonder. HE'S A SOHMA! 

"Look!" Shigure pointed at the carriages next to them. "That is Hatori's ride… and that is Hiro's coachman."

"Why are they all here?" Ayame wondered.

To meet Yuki, of course… 

"Are you ready, Tohru-chan?" Ayame smiled. "Let's go then!"

Ayame held her hand as they walked towards the front door. Shigure followed behind them.

"Ok… here goes nothing…" Ayame clasped at the doorknob.

_Okaa-san, behind these doors is Yuki… Yuki Sohma!_

Ayame opened the door fully and found Hatori scolding at someone.

"What are doing here?!" Hatori yelled at a group of people at the corner. "Are you spying on me?

Tohru glanced at them and, to her surprise, she found them very familiar. "Kisa-chan! Hiro-san, Haru-san!" she called out.

"Onee-chan!" Kisa called out.

"Tohru!" Haru called out also.

The name Tohru made Yuki and Hatori glance at the doorway.

"Honda-san…" Yuki whispered. _She's with my brother and… why is she with those two perverts???_

"Tohru…" Hatori repeated. _I finally met her again… but why is she here? Why is she with them?_

_Okaa-san, I'm here now standing with all the Sohma's in front of me. No, they're ten. Almost complete. Yuki-kun, Ayame-san, Shigure-san, Hatori-san, Hiro-san, Kisa-san and Haru-san… and there are  3 others that I don't know. _

_Why are they all here???_

"Wait…" Momiji wondered. "Why are you all in my house?!"


	9. 9

Oh my! I'm so slow! My schedule is so hectic!!! Gomenasai!!! I would really like to finish this fic so that I can write a new one! Oh what the heck! On with the story.

"Honda-san!" Yuki approached hastily towards her but Hatori was faster than him.

"I want to talk to you… privately…" he whispered.

"But---"

"Don't resist, Honda Tohru-san." He hissed as he grabbed her elbow and led her to a room. "Don't let him in here." The doctor said firmly to everyone. Before he closed the door, Ayame gave a secret signal to Shigure and both of them went inside the same room.

"Why are they---" Yuki tried to get in but Momiji stopped him.

"Don't go."

"Why?! Am I not allowed to see her?!" the nezumi yelled at his cousins. "I wanted to talk to her for a while. Please, let me in."

Momiji just shook his head silently as Yuki banged his fist on the table.

_Dammit, what is Hatori planning?! What is he going to do to her? With those two perverts with him, I think they're really planning something… suspicious…_

"Let me go, Shigure!" Hatori tried to free himself from the inu's grip but it was no use. Even if he can struggle himself free, he had to walk across the whole room to get to Tohru.

"Tohru-chan, I want you to stay here." Ayame whispered assuredly to the teenage girl tucked at the corner of the room. "Don't worry. Tori-san had to get through me first before he reaches you."

"Why do you have to do this?! Let me go! I order you!"

"I'm sorry, Tori-san but…" Shigure tried to talk and hold Hatori as long as he can. "I can't let you do anything to her."

"I'm not a murderer, Shigure." Hatori eyed his cousin.

"I meant the thing you did with Kana---"

"NEVER MENTION HER NAME!" At last, Hatori got one of his arms free and struggled the other one out as well. He pushed Shigure on the floor. "I… did that… for her own good."

"Why? She did not choose you because you're rich!"

"You don't know peasants, Shigure!"

"Ayame-san… What are they talking about?" Tohru whispered.

"Ne, it's about a thing in the past… about Hatori. Don't think about it much. It's way too personal." The snake replied.

_Okaa-san… I can't ignore it. I already heard the name. I know I can remember things very well. Now, I seems like the name Kana is very familiar to me. Yes, Kana Sohma… she was the late wife of Hatori… the **murdered **wife of Hatori-san. But does this mean that… she was killed by…_

"No…" Tohru whispered.

"What is it, Tohru-chan?"

"This is enough." Hatori declared. "I told you. I need to talk to her privately. Everything can turn out smoothly until both of you came!"

"Smoothly?" Shigure got up from the floor and stared at his cousin.

"We were just thinking about her sake. You can't just do it to her like you did to Kana!" 

"Did to---Kana has nothing to do with this!"

"What did I do?"

All of them suddenly stopped and looked at Tohru.

"What is it?" Hatori asked.

"What did I do?" she asked him again. "I'm just a young innocent girl who lives with my father in the mill. And one day, I met him in a form of a mouse. I inherited him from my father---"

"Now that is the problem." Hatori pressed. "You know already about the _thing_ we Sohmas keep. That is very wrong. That shouldn't happen!"

"Cmon, Tori-san, Tohru-kun won't tell anyone." Shigure cooed. "Right, Tohru-kun?"

"O-Of course! I won't" she nodded over and over again. "You can count on me about this!"

"Are you telling me that I'm going to trust you?" Hatori chuckled. "Don't make me."

Ayame shot an angry look. "Don't think like that on Tohru-chan. She knows how to keep secrets. I trust her!"

"You do, but I don't." The doctor sat on a empty chair. 

"But… you trusted Kana on this!"

"I told you _Shigure _that never mention Kana's name in this." 

"But, Hatori-san…" Tohru whispered. "I… can promise you that… I can keep this secret. I swear!"

"… I can't trust you…I'm sorry." 

"Wait , Tori-san! I have an idea!" Shigure clapped his hands. "What if we keep her near us so that we are sure that she won't tell anyone about _it_." 

"Hmm…" Hatori thought for a moment. "That's not a bad idea…"

Okaa-san… these people…they're planning about my life… 

"But she can't just stay in that mansion like that." The doctor continued. "She has to do something while she is inside."

"Please don't make a her a statue or something." Ayame begged.

"Wait… I know…" Hatori smiled mysteriously.

"Are you alright, Tohru-chan?" Ayame asked Tohru one day. She suddenly snapped out from her deep trance and smiled at him.

"E-Eh? Nothing. I was… just thinking about… whay Hatori-san said…" she whispered.

"Ne, don't worry. That would be for a while only." Ayame assured her. "It will be all back to normal after Akito leaves again."

"Ayame-san, is Akito… really that rude?" 

"… you'll understand his personality once he gets here." He smiled. "For the first time, we have somebody inside that mansion like you!"

"…Actually, I'm the second person." She giggled. "Kana Sohma was the first."

After that statement, Ayame stood up and walked away, which made her wonder.

"She'll be living with us inside the mansion?!" Kyou asked.

"Yes!" Kagura yelled happily. "I have a companion!"

"Maybe not too long. She'll be staying here while Akito's here." Shigure explained. "Please… don't tell Akito that she knew about _it._"

"Hey, is Yuki going to stay here too?" Kagura asked.

"…that's up to him." the inu replied.

Yuki kept his chin tucked in between his knees as he stared at the midnight sky by that window and wondered about the things passed by.

…all the things that passed by.

_"Tohru-kun!" Yuki yelled as she walked out of the room. Shigure and Ayame followed her out. "What happened? What did Hatori tell you?" he quickly asked. "… Do you remember me?"_

_"Relax, my dear brother." Ayame giggled. "She's perfectly fine. We just talked, ok? Right, Tohru-chan?"_

_"…y-yes." She whispered. "Hatori-san allowed me to stay with you inside the Sohma mansion. That is… if you allow me to---"_

_"Of course I do!" the nezumi said happily, not knowing what she tried to say to him. "You'll be staying with me inside the mansion! That's fantastic!"_

_Tohru looked down and kept her mouth shut when Hatori came out of the room and smiled. "So, he agreed?"_

_"Yes…" she whispered._

_"Good, then follow me. I will show you around in the mansion."_

_Tohru obediently followed the doctor out of the house and inside the carriage. After they drove off, Shigure hastily went toward Yuki and slapped him hard on the face._

_"How dare you!" he said angrily. "Why did you say yes?! Why didn't you listen to her, you freak?!"_

_"Stop it Shigure." Ayame held his cousin back._

_"Why… what did I do?" Yuki asked as he touched the aching part in his face._

_"You didn't give her a chance to explain! You just said yes!" the inu said angrily. "If I were to gave **that** decision, I would say no!"_

_"What the---this is the only opportunity that I would be with her inside the mansion---"_

_"As she serves Hatori… and Akito?!" Shigure yelled. "As she becomes their slaves?!" _

_Yuki's mouth dropped open and the others let out a loud gasp._

_"What?" Haru said surprisingly._

_"Ne-san… will be a maid???" Kisa asked._

_"Serves her right." Hiro murmured._

_"HIRO!"_

_"I was just kidding."_

_"W-Wait…" Yuki stuttered. "A… A servant? A personal maid?"_

_"Yes, Hatori told us that he does not trust her about keeping the secret of the Sohmas so he decided to keep her inside the mansion just to prevent her from telling the secret to anyone." Ayame explained. "But she can't just roam around inside the mansion freely while Akito is around so he thought that she would be maid… a personal maid for Akito and for him."_

_"And you said **YES**." Shigure pressed. "You agreed as the acting mayor---"_

_"She'll be starting tomorrow." Ayame told his brother._

"What have I done?" Yuki thought. 

She was so good to me… and she nursed me to health and…god, she'll be a maid tomorrow… inside the mansion…

My conscience is bothering me already… how am I going to face her tomorrow? 

Tohru tucked herself under the soft covers of her bed. _Okaa-san, I don't know why… but I have a sudden feeling that it won't be very nice inside that mansion. I think Hatori-san is planning something about me and…_

_I'll be meeting Akito tomorrow… what is he like? _

_Am I going to survive this?_

_Now I realize that it's really hard if you inherited a Sohma from somebody._

_But at least I'll get to be with Yuki-kun once more. It doesn't matter to me now if he's a Sohma or not._


	10. 10

"Yes, I understand." Hatori murmured as he hung up the phone. Shigure stared at him under his round glasses.

"Well?" 

"There had been a huge mistake around… so Akito will arrive here tomorrow night." The doctor sighed. "I didn't expect this."

"Sure, you didn't!" Shigure smiled happily. "Now, I still have a chance to hang around with Tohru-chan---"

"Make one tiny mistake about that _hanging around_, pervert, and I'll---"

"No, of course not!" the inu laughed. "My god, Tori-san, you do know me!"

"Sure I do. You're a Sohma. You're my cousin. And I have more than 10 reasons why I know you." Hatori grumbled. "By the way, where's Yuki?"

"He's resting… or maybe trying to avoid Tohru-kun so he locked himself up in his room." He wondered. "I can't really understand him."

"He's Yuki. He's like Akito." The doctor grabbed his cigar box and popped one cigarette in his mouth. "They are both enigmas."

"But I thought you know anyone who is your cousin and is a Sohma! Are you telling me that… you don't know Yuki?"

Hatori grinned slowly. "Maybe I don't…"

"…and this is the yard, also called the Sohma playing field." Kagura told Tohru while she was pointing at the vast land in front of them. "So, what can you say?"

"This is the first time that I have seen a 5-hectare-yard." Tohru whispered and smiled in delight. "I've never seen a yard this wide!"

"Really? This is the smallest land we have." She wondered. "When I was young, we had a house at a different place and the yard there was about…uh… 15 hectares?"

"WHAT?! I mean…" Tohru stared at the Sohma beside her. "You can buy that kind of land?!"

"That depends. If the government doesn't want, then we don't persuade." Then, Kagura leaned forward to whisper. "That was until the dynamic duo came."

"Dynamic Duo?"

"Akito and Yuki. Like Father like Son, I guess." She whispered.

"Akito is Yuki's father?!"

"Stepfather. And never remind him about that." Kagura warned the innocent onigiri beside her. "Yuki never accepted him as a father. It was just his mother who made that decision. You see, Yuki was sold---"

"Yuki-kun?! But… that can't happen…"

"Yuki is just as poor as you back then. And his mother was a maid in Akito's mansion. Due to constant conversation, rumors say they fell in love and… well, another Sohma came in the group." Kagura explained. "His mother had no money to take care of him so she just gave him up."

"Just like that?!"

"Yes, and of course, Yuki doesn't want that. So Akito summoned Hatori to brainwash him… and it did work. Yuki forgot about his miserable and poor past life and became a Sohma. But secrets are always revealed, so every time Yuki finds out something that he didn't like, Akito will summon Hatori over and over again to brainwash him."

"Really?" _Poor Yuki-kun. I can say he'd been through a lot…_

"But little does Hatori know… the more he brainwashes Yuki, the more Yuki gets to know things."

"Really?"

Kagura nodded. "And we helped him a lot. We secretly told him about his past life but now, he doesn't care at all. We also told him that Ayame was his brother and he was an orphan."

"Ah… and he's not mad?"

"He was sad." The boar noted. "But what done is done. He just accepted his life as a Sohma. And… you know what happens next right?"

"Yes… but how come Yuki-kun ran away? I mean, you said he accepted his life as a Sohma. Then why did he leave the mansion and ended up in the river next to my house?" Tohru asked curiously but Kagura only gave her a sad look. "I see… you don't know…"

"Why don't you ask Yuki?" her face lit up. "You're friends, right? Maybe you could talk to him once in a while, have tea with him or something."

"N-No, Kagura-san. I can't just talk to him, now that I already know who he is." Tohru whispered sadly. "He's a Sohma… and I'm just a lowlife creature in his eyes. I'm not worthy for him---"

"Wait a minute…" Kagura shot a look. "I didn't say you'll do _something_ **_with_** him. I said that you'll… what were you thinking?" she grinned.

"EH?! No! You're…" Tohru blushed and Kagura laughed. 

"It's ok… and you can't say no!"

"No." The onigiri shook her head over and over again. _Okaa-san, I'm thinking madly today. I can't meet with Yuki-kun---_

"Psst, Tohru-can…" Kagura whispered.

"Eh?"

"Yuki's teatime is usually before dinner."

"NE?"

Kagura laughed histerically. "What? Remember what Hatori said? You're Akito's maid but as long as Akito's not here, you should serve his son, right?"

"But---"

"Oh yeah, Yuki likes his tea fresh… and also serve him leek soup." She smiled widely. "You'll be fine. You won't mess up."

_That's easy to think Kagura-san. Even I can do that._

_But doing it seems to be so hard._

"What?!" Ayame yelled on the phone. "My Tohru-chan?!"

"I heard about that…" Shigure cooed on the other end of the line. 

"But that's not nice… serving someone who's about her age… and Yuki doesn't know what Tohru is feeling right now…"

"Wha--- what is she feeling right now?" the inu asked.

"Well, you know… first timers are usually nervous when they… you know…"Ayame grinned secretly. 

"Hey, I have an idea." Shigure's voice became mysterious and he whispered. "Come over here and we'll teach Yuki about… you know…"

"You know… what?"

"You know… THAT… the thing we used to do in highschool… to the first timers…" Shigure whispered louder. "We could teach Yuki how to do… that…"

"But Yuki…" Ayame thought for a while very seriously. "… maybe he's not ready yet."

"For god's sake, he's 17. He knows already how to read porn---"

"Keep quiet Shigure! You just mentioned that word!!! What if Hatori hears you?!" Ayame hissed loudly. But there was no response on the other line.

"Shigure?"

"…"

"Hey, that's not funny! Say something!!!"

"…perverts."

Ayame jumped from his seat. "H-Hatori-san!" He was surprised to hear the doctor's voice on the line instead of Shigure. 

"Did Shigure mentioned that he's using _my _phone in _my _office?"

"Um… no…"

Hatori chuckled lightly. "Now you know, Ayame…"

"…can I come over?"

"No." he said firmly before he hung up. 

"Hey that was just a joke." Shigure said playfully.

"Get out of office now, Shigure." He said firmly once more that scared his cousin away.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and Tohru peeked inside. "H-Hatori-san?"

"Huh… Oh, it's you…" he answered blankly. "What do you want?"

"Um… can I go out for a while? I just need to tell something to---"

"You're a maid."

Tohru was startled with his answer. "Um…is that a no?"

Hatori stared at her. "What do you think?"

"AH, I'm sorry." She bowed lowly. "Sorry. I'm so dumb. Please forget that I'm here!"

Before he could say another word, she already left his office.

"What are you trying to tell me?!" Yuki asked.

"Talk-to-her." Kagura pressed. "Very simple, right?"

"About what?"

"Forget about him." Kyou grumbled. "Nezumi is frightened to even talk to girls."

"What are you---"

"Yuki!" Kagura caught his attention. "You still need some time to heal those wounds. Kyou-kun, please no fighting, ok?"

Kyou leaned back against the wall while Yuki sat on the edge of his bed. 

"Yuki, look at her right now. She's a maid." The boar explains gently. "I can't be just her friend forever. We should try to keep her comfortable for a even just a day… while Akito is not here yet. Please help me, Yuki-kun."

After a long pause, Yuki nodded slowly and Kagura smiled happily.

She leaned over and whispered to his ear. "She'll be here before dinner."

"WHAT?!"

Tohru stood at the edge of the balcony and observed the lands near the Sohma mansion. _It's so vast and wide… They're really rich…_

_No wonder they bought the village… they bought out lives…_

"Hello, lovely princess~!" Shigure sang as he approached Tohru. "Why? Why art thou in grim?"

"Eh?"

He chuckled happily. "Are you alright? You seem very lonely in this beautiful day!"

"…really?" she whispered. "Am I that obvious?"

"Princess, you shouldn't be this sad today." The inu smiled widely. "DO you know that people like you will do anything just to get inside this mansion? Now, are you feeling lucky?"

"…actually, I never wished to be locked up inside here…"

"But you're not locked up! You're free as a---"

"Thank you." She said quickly. "But, really, I'm alright. I just… wanted to see Ayame-san."

Shigure stared at her. "You… wanted to see Aya-san?"

"I just wanted to talk to him."

"Ok…" he smiled. "I'll send him over."

She smiled. "Thank you very much, Shigure---"

He raised a finger to silence her. "Shigure is a bit long word. Call me Gure."

"Gure?" she wondered. "Yes, Gure-san."

He laughed. "I haven't thought about attaching the suffix –san with it but… it sounds fine so… ok!" he yelled. "I'll call Aya-san for you to talk with."

While they were talking, behind the curtains, Hatori observes them very carefully…


	11. 11

"What?" Ayame repeated for the fifth time. "She wanted to see me?"

"Would you deny the lady's request?" Shigure asked.

The snake quickly shook his head. "No! Of course not!" he quickly said. "Sure. Ill be right there."

Tohru took a deep breath after she noticed her hands were shaking as she held the tray near her. It was her first time to serve a person formally. _Okaa-san, I can't believe I'll be serving Yuki-kun!_

She looked down on the tea and leek soup she made. "Please don't make me mess up."

She knocked three times to show respect and, once she didn't hear a reply, she knocked once more. "Yuki-kun…" she whispered.

There was no reply.

So she slowly twisted the doorknob and went inside. She found all of his things: books, papers of companies and factories scattered, some of his old clothes stacked up in the corner and crumpled papers everywhere. But he was not there.

"Eh… Did I enter the right room?" she wondered. She placed the tray on the table near his bed and had the instinct to do something for him. _Maybe…_

"Thank you." He answered blankly as he returned the phone to Hatori. 

"So?"

"I hate that company… so I rejected it." Yuki said.

The doctor banged his fists on the table. "For god's sake, Yuki! Are you planning to reject everything!?" Hatori asked him angrily. "Will you please think of Akito? He has high expectations for you! Will you just try to impress him for once?!"

"Impress?" Yuki laughed. "I've already known 4 foreign languages, studied under 7 defense sensei, been through 2 masterals and negotiated with 14 different companies around the world. Also, women are crazy about me and people who are civilized know me."

"Tell me Hatori, have I done enough to impress him?" Yuki stormed out of the room while Hatori sat back on his chair.

_To tell you the truth, you've already done so much and you've also impressed him so much…_ Hatori wondered. _That's why Akito kept on depending on you._

It's your birthday next week. And you don't know what Akito is planning for you… 

_But that doesn't mean that I know about that._

Ayame quickly opened the door and went inside Shigure's office. "AM I late?"

"Yes you are." Shigure grinned. "It seems like 5 minutes ago, Yuki went to his room."

"So what?"

"Our little angel was there 30 minutes ago." 

"NANI?!"

Yuki stopped by the doorway and stared at his room. All was in order. His usual books that piled up on his desk were arranged in the bookshelf. His papers were piled up accordingly next to it. All his clothes were placed in the cabinets and his old clothes were stacked up on a basket. The floor was neat and well polished. 

"Uh… is this my room?" he wondered.

Just as he closed the door, his bathroom door opened and Tohru came out with a basket full of clothes on her side. "Ah! Yuki-kun!" she smiled. 

"Honda-san… what…" he tried to maintain his tone and gave her the usual-Hatori-Sohma stern look. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, well… I came with some tea and… so I looked around and you're not here and… um, I decided to…" she searched some words to say but after a long pause, she bowed as lowly as she could. 

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to barge in and bother…! I just wanted to…!"

Okaa-san, I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have fixed his room, just like what Kagura-san said. I should only serve him tea and walk away. But what I did was not approved by him. 

_I shouldn't have done it!!! _She felt her eyes getting wet. _I haven't been scolded by somebody before!_

Yuki stared at the young woman bowing and apologizing in front of him. _What am I doing? _He wondered. _This is not me and… she is Honda-san. I… why did I have to give her that look?_

He went towards her and held her shoulders. "I like it."

She looked up. "Eh?"

"I've been trying to clean up my room but…" he smiled. "I had a lot of things to do and… I would like to thank Honda-san for fixing for me. To tell you the truth, I'm…happy to see my room in order."

"Ah…" she whispered. "…I don't know if missed anything---"

He stared at her eyes and quickly said, "Did I scare you earlier?"

"Um…" she giggled. "Yes, a little bit."

"I'm sorry. I was…um, a bit tired today." He shrugged. "Hatori forced me to do his chores after I left him."

"Really?" _That sounds normal to me. He's a Sohma. He should be doing a lot of things._

"Oh." Tohru glanced at the watch on the corner. "I had to go. Hatori-san must be waiting for me."

Yuki felt a sudden twitch on the back of his head. "What makes you think that he needs you?"

"Well… that's what a maid used to do, right? They just keep on doing things that could satisfy the master." She explained meekly. 

Satisfy? Yuki wondered for that word for a while.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yuki-kun." She smiled. Before she would even open the door, Yuki stood up.

"Honda-san," he called. 

She turned around. "Yes?"

_Don't strive too hard. Don't push yourself. Go on Yuki. SAY IT!!! _"G-Goodnight." He said. 

_Dammit, I can't say those words._

To his surprise, she smiled sweetly at him. "Please sleep tight Yuki-kun. Don't strive too hard. We are also meant to have fun, right?" She opened the door and left the room.

Yuki sat on his bed wordlessly. _While I was out there, she was the one who's serving me. Now… she's still the one who's serving me._

He banged his fist. _I HAD to do something for her._

"PRINCESS~!" Shigure called out from his office. "Please come over."

Tohru sighed and followed Shigure. _I need to see Hatori but…Gure-san is almost like him… so maybe I should attend to him first. _"Yes?"

"How did it go?" a voice came. Her eyes found a man at the corner of the room.

"Ayame-san!" she called out and went towards him.

"Careful~!" Ayame giggled as his hands reached out to grab her shoulders before she could even hug him. "I can transform, remember?"

"Ah!" she whispered. "I'm so happy you came."

"Why are you looking for me?" he asked cheerfully.

"Well… you see…"

"Yes… I understand." Hatori said as he hung up the phone. He glanced at his watch. _11:00 in the evening. _He thought. _A few more hours left and he's home. I better start rearranging my things._

Just as he stood up, Shigure came in. "Hatori-san~!"

"Out. Busy." The doctor replied quickly and blankly.

Shigure let out a crazy laugh. "I wasn't saying anything!"

"Yes, I know. But I think I'll be hearing a lot from you if I let you say something." Hatori mumbled. "I'm busy. Get out of my room."

"5 minutes." The inu begged.

"1."

"2!" 

After a long pause, Hatori sighed and sat down on his chair. "Ok, what's on your mind?"

"Honda-san will be Akito's personal maid, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

Shigure grinned evilly. "Why don't we just forget about that?"

"…eh?"

"Instead, Tohru-chan will be Yuki's personal maid!" Shigure clapped his hands happily. "That would be so much fun!"

"…out." Hatori said firmly.

"Listen, Yuki's in his right age now and he needs to do something relaxing, don't you think?" Shigure explained. "So, Aya and I were thinking that maybe Yuki needs to cool down and relax a bit, make him explore things he hasn't done before."

"What you're suggesting is something officially for perverts like you."

"He's a man, Tori-san! He needs to experience… that!"

Hatori stood up and stared at his cousin seriously. "She is, might be and should be a hindrance to him. She could tear the whole Sohma clan apart. As far as I'm concerned, I think it is best if we leave her under Akito's case." He pointed towards the door. "Your time is up."

Shigure went towards the door with a long face. Before he left, he sighed and turned towards the doctor. "He needs someone to cheer him up."

"He has everything to keep his chin up. That's enough for him to make him happy." 

Shigure once more sighed and said, "There are some things that cannot be bought by money. And also," he continued. "I remembered those times when Kana was your personal maid and… those were the only times that I've seen you happy. If you have time, you should stare yourself at the mirror, will you?" Then he left.

Tohru tucked herself under the thin sheets of her bed.

_"Why are you looking for me?" Ayame asked cheerfully._

_"Well…you see… I was wondering what I should do for Yuki-kun."_

_"Kiss him." Shigure said quickly._

_"GURE!" Ayame shouted. "Not that fast!"_

_"Sorry."_

_Tohru looked at them. "I was wondering to do something normal."_

_"Kissing is normal---"_

_"Well," Ayame eyed his cousin. "Yuki's been very busy that he rarely had fun for his life."_

_"Yeah." Shigure nodded. "That's why you should give him a kiss." He winked. "You're a very good kisser, you know."_

_"I can still remember when he was younger, he was used to gardening." Ayame wondered. "But Akito came and his whole garden were burned to ashes and, of course, he was brainwashed and he forgot the whole thing about being a gardener."_

_"So you should act like the savior of sleeping beauty." Shigure suggested. "One kiss could make him remember everything! But you should make it very good---"_

_"SHUT UP! Our little angel shouldn't be forced to do something she doesn't want!"_

_"Um, can you do me a favor, Ayame-san?" Tohru whispered._

_"Yes, of course!"_

_Tohru grabbed a small piece of paper, scribbled something down and handed it to Ayame. "A person named Uotani Arisa lives in this address. She's a vendor… and a gardener as well. Could you ask her about the bonsai she has for me? Tell her I asked for it."_

_"Yes, of course. When will you need it?" Ayame asked._

_"Tomorrow." She begged. "Can you?"_

_"I already said yes, my little princess." He smiled handsomely._

"Like brothers." Tohru whispered. _Okaa-san, Yuki-kun and Ayame-san are totally alike when it comes to smiles. But I think Yuki is an introvert unlike his brother. Looking at them seems to be so relaxing._

_I wish Yuki-kun will be happy with my gift tomorrow._

  
  



	12. 12

"Ohayo!" Tohru greeted cheerfully that very next day. Yuki's eyes slowly opened and looked up at the excited Tohru beside him. 

"Eh?"

"Yuki-kun! Tori-san said that I should wake you up! You have a meeting today!" she brushed away the thick blankets and tugged Yuki's shirt over and over again. "C'mon, it's a beautiful morning!"

"Honda-san…" he yawn lazily. "I hate mornings. Please let me sleep." He turned towards his side but found himself at the very edge of the bed. He slipped and landed on the floor.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru ran towards the other side and found him rubbing his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes… it's just…ow…" he continuously rubbed his right shoulder.

"I'll call Hatori-san---"

"No."

Tohru stared at Yuki. "But---"

"I don't need his help." He said firmly. "I don't need him, Honda-san."

"Oh…" she sighed. _He sounded angry…Stupid Tohru! Why did you say that???_

"Ah…" Yuki started to speak. "Please don't think about it. I'm fine, really." He stood up and stretched his arms. "See? I'm fine. I don't feel any pain. Besides, I'm already up. If you tell Hatori that I'm still in bed, he might get me for sure."

"Yes, of course." She smiled as she opened the door. "Breakfast is ready, Yuki-kun."

"Thank you, Honda-san."

"Ano, Yuki-kun…" she began.

"What is it?" he asked. 

She went out and returned inside with a small potted plant in her hands. "Um, I would like to give you this."

Yuki stared at the small plant in front of him and slowly held it in his hands. "What is it?"

"Oh, I should be giving you a bonsai… well, that's a plant of lilac." She explained. "I'm planning t give it you since… I heard that you're birthday is near…" 

"I see…" he stared at the small plant. "Thank you, Honda-san. You've been so good to me."

"No worries, Yuki-kun!" she saluted obediently. "Please hurry. Your food might get cold."

"Hai." He replied.

"Where are you going?" Hatori asked before Shigure would leave his office.

"To Aya's house." He repled. "What's wrong?"

"You're up to something…"

Shigure laughed. "Am I that predictable?"

"Maybe, but if you're trying to come up with something not normal, don't go looking for me." The doctor warned blankly.

"Yes, yes, I know…" Shigure went towards the door and glanced at Hatori. "Does this look familiar?"

"Eh?"

"This situation… this happened years ago… to you Hatori…and…" the inu explained. "That was the time when Kana was here."

"Please Shigure, let her rest in peace---"

"Tohru is the reincarnation of Kana!"

"Shut up!!!" The doctor ordered. "Tohru is never Kana… and she won't replace her…"

"…whatever, Tori." The inu left silently.

"…"

Kagura glanced at her cousin at the end of the table. "You're pretty silent today."

Yuki frowned. "I don't want to attend Hatori's meeting."

"Oh, so, why don't you just forget it?" 

"He knows where I go." He sighed. "I didn't matter where I run or where to go… it's just that… he KNOWS."

"Why don't you just go somewhere where he doesn't know… eh?" Kagura wondered. "I got confused with my own question…"

"… is she free today?"

Kagura glanced at him. "Eh?"

"Tohru-san?"

"Yuki, maids like us are never free from work. Besides, Akito's coming home. Hatori won't let her out."

"He won't…" he grinned slowly. "But I would."

That afternoon, Kagura silently dragged Tohru out towards the backyard. "Hurry!"

"Eh?! I can't just go anywhere, Kagura-san! Hatori-san can get angry!" Tohru resisted but Kagura gave her a stern look. 

"I have something to show you!"

"What is it?!"

"Nan de— Don't be that grouchy! It will only take a minute. Tori-san wouldn't mind!" the boar continuously dragged the onigiri away from the mansion.

"But---"

"No buts! Let's go!"

"What do you mean you won't make it?!" Hatori held his phone tightly at his ear. "But Yuki's birthday is in two days! What happened to the plan?… There must be something wrong about that plane! I told you Akito to take the private jet I reserved for you!"

"I'm fine… I'll find another way to get home---"

"There's no other way!"

"Hatori!" the person on the other end of the line raised his voice. "Please be reminded that I'm still the clan head! Never raise your voice when you're talking to me!"

"…I'm sorry, Akito-san… it's just that…"

"Why do you want me to come home that badly?"

_Should I tell him? Maybe I should… or else it is I that will be blamed. _"Akito-san… we found Yuki."

"Really?" the cold voice became excited. "Where is he? Can I talk to him?"

"…actually, that's not all that we found." Hatori sighed. "There's also this girl…"

"WOW~!!!" Tohru stared at the huge garden in front of her. "Amazing!"

"Yes, it is." Kagura nodded continuously.

The onigiri turned to the Sohma. "And nobody knew about this?"

"… all knows except Hatori… and Akito." Kagura winked. "They shouldn't know that Yuki gained his intelligence of being a green thumb. He has started this about a year before he became the mayor. Now YOU know, so be careful, ok?"

"Hai! I'll keep this secret forever!" she raised her right hand and smiled happily. "SO this means, Yuki-kun knows more than Hatori expected him to know."

"Exactly. But that's not all. Follow me." Kagura took Tohru's hands and went further inside the garden until they found themselves in field full of fruits and vegetables.

"WOW~!" Tohru again, was awed by what she saw.

"Amazing isn't it? We Sohmas may be rich but we don't have enough time to go to the market and buy stuff to eat. So I just get the food here. Pretty impressive, right?" 

"Yuki-kun doesn't mind?"

"Not at all. He believes that this can save me time and energy. Of course, this should be kept a secret." She laughed. "No Sohma can do this except Yuki because Hatori kept on telling us that a people who do these dirty works are peasants."

"I see… and agree as well." Tohru nodded. "It hard to believe that somebody so rich can do these kind of stuff…"

"Now you know the person behind me, Honda-san." A voice came. 

Tohru turned around and was surprised to see… "Yuki-kun!"

He smiled softly at her. "At least you understand, right?"

"Of course I do! Anybody can!"

That is when you are wrong, Honda-san. Hatori doesn't understand… even Akito doesn't… 

"So… Yuki, can I get some now?" Kagura raised up her basket.

"Ok, but don't touch the tomatoes. They're not that red today." Yuki warned. 

Okaa-san… I learned a lot today. Yuki may be rich but he's a person of nature. I believe that it is not his will to be with the Sohmas… or with Akito. If his mother were still here, she would have taken care of him and raised him to be a farmer… and have a good business and…

_When I meet him then we'll be…_

_Stop it! Stupid Tohru! You shouldn't think that way!!! What is done is done! He's rich and famous! And I'm just a peasant!_

_Maybe I should face it. Even if I like him… he wouldn't like me!_

"Honda-san," Yuki called out gently. "What do you want to eat? I have all the fruits you could taste!"

"No, thank you, Yuki-kun, I'm really not that hungry."

"C'mon, Tohru!" Kagura smiled as she got some carrots. "It's all for free!"

"Pick one." He called again.

She thought for a while and smiled. "Actually, do you have any strawberries?"

That night, Tohru placed all the strawberries on her closet. She couldn't resist so she picked one and ate it. 

_"Yuki-kun, you said pick one!"_

_"I did. But I didn't say GET one. It's like you named a food and I'll give you all of what's available."_

_"Nani? Yuki, I shouldn't eat this much! I might grow fat if I eat too much!" Tohru pouted._

_He laughed. "I didn't say that you'll eat it now. Why don't you bring it to your room? Once in a while, get one and eat."_

_"But, Hatori-san said that I shouldn't eat in my room."_

_Yuki's face fell. "He told you that?"_

_"Yes… why?"_

_"Honda-san, he's manipulating you already. Once in a while, try to break some rules he made. Besides, I hold the mansion, not him."_

_"But---"_

_"Just stay away from him." he smiled. "That way, you wouldn't get caught, ok?"_

_"…ok."_

_Maybe he's right. _She wondered. _Hatori became so demanding ever since he announced that I'm a mad in the Sohma mansion. Maybe I shouldn't follow him that much. Besides, Yuki is the son of the clan head. Hatori is the clan doctor. They both may be Sohmas but Yuki has a higher rank than Hatori._

_That's right. I should follow Yuki's orders better._

She silently left her quarters with an unfinished strawberry in her hand. As slowly walked at the halls, she finished her strawberry.

Okaa-san, this may be weird but… why is Yuki angry at Hatori? There must be something--- 

She bumped carelessly at something…

…or someone…

"Eating at the halls, Honda Tohru-san?"

Tohru looked up and she shivered. _Oh no…_

It was Hatori right in front of her.


	13. 13

"H-Hatori-san…"

"Didn't I mention to you that no eating in the halls?" he picked the strawberry in her hand. "Hmm… where did you get this?"

Oh no… 

"I haven't ordered Kagura to buy strawberries…" he wondered. "Where did you get this?"

_Okaa-san, this is not happening! _She thought to herself. _Be brave, Tohru. Whatever happens, he shouldn't know about the garden!_

"I asked you where you got this." he raised his voice and grabbed her in the shoulder. "Answer me."

"…"

"Let her go."

Hatori looked up and saw Haru walking towards them.

"You're back?"

"Yeah." He grinned.

"Since when?" Hatori asked.

"What do you care? I'm a Sohma." Haru pressed. "And right now, I'm recognizing that you're… harassing this young woman." He smiled at her.

"I-I am not!" Hatori stuttered.

"Watch the grip, Hatori, or I might suspect more about you." He warned and Hatori let her go.

"Hmph." The doctor mumbled. "Go back to your quarters."

Tohru silently went back to her room. _Okaa-san, I'm in misery now!_

Before she even closed the door behind her, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

She looked around and found Haru at the door. "hmm?"

"Are you ok?" he repeated his question.

"Hai." She bowed. "Thank you very much… for saving me back there."

He laughed. "That's alright, I understand that being a maid isn't an easy job. If he goes rough again to you, always remember to approach us and we'll fix his little attitude problem, ok?"

"Hai." She nodded. "Gee, I can't imagine that you are all against Hatori-san, despite that he's tough in character."

"Yes, he is. And the only one who can control his temper is Shigure and Ayame but they're always gone somewhere. So we developed our own way of talking to somebody older than us." He explained. "But, of course, he's our cousin so there are some limitations of doing things."

"I see."

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked again. "Do I have to tell Yuki about this?"

"NO!" she said quickly. _I can't let Yuki know this. If he does, the gap between he and Hatori-san will grow bigger. _"Please don't mention this to Yuki…"

"Why? He has the right to know, right?"

"I… don't want him to…" _God, why can't I say that I'm worried about him._

"That's alright." Haru smiled. "I understand. Then, we'll keep this a secret, ok?"

She nodded happily. _At least this way, only the two of us knew what happened._

_The two of us… plus Hatori…_

_What's my fate, Okaa-san? Am I borne to be blamed by people???_

"You sounded very familiar…" He wondered.

"Eh?"

"Years ago, as Shigure narrated, there was also a hired maid who was under Hatori. She also had problems between Hatori and her. Whenever Hatori approaches and commands her, she just ignores him or answers back." He laughed. "Hatori was tough to handle. But she was tougher."

"Really???"

"Yeah. After a few months, Hatori became softer to her and she as well understands him. They became good friends, you see."

_If she's tough and soon became friends with Hatori, I could also become tough and be like her. _"Can I meet her?" she asked hesitatingly.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Why?"

"You can't meet her." he whispered. "She passed away years ago."

He face fell. _Darn, there goes my luck._

"Her name will never be forgotten by Sohmas." He said. "She's the reason why Hatori became independent and caring as well to others."

_Caring? _She wondered,

"Of course, that was when she was still around and Akito was not around."

"Who is she?" Tohru asked curiously.

"You don't know?" he asked. "She's Kana Sohma."

"Kana?" she repeated. "The wife of Hatori-san?"

"Yes, why?"

But she was murdered… 

_If Hatori change for the better because of Kana, then why did he kill her?_

_There must be some mistake about that rumor._

The next morning, while Yuki was eating his meal in his room, Tohru began to ask questions that surprised Yuki.

"Kana?" he repeated. "You wanted me to narrate the story of Kana?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Can you?"

"…Tohru, I was still a child when Kana died." He explained. "You should interview somebody older than me."

"B-But Shigure's not here and… Ayame's in the village and… nobody else knows except you." She begged. "Please…"

"Tohru-san, I'm really happy to help but I'm not in the right age…" he sighed. "I think you're interviewing a wrong person."

"I see…" her face fell again.

Yuki stared at her. _There I go again. I'm trying to find a way to cheer her up or even help her but now, I'm denying her help! _"Is there anything else I can do?"

"No… nothing, thank you." She stood up and left the room.

He quickly grabbed his phone and dialed some numbers. _I'm really nuts to do this but… this is for her anyway… _"Hello?"

"Yuki?! Yuki is that you?! My little brother---"

"I want you and Shigure to come here to the mansion now."

"B-But, my little brother---"

Yuki glared at the voice. "Don't push it."

"We could talk here on the phone! Why should we go there?"

"… it's for Tohru…"

_This is the only way. _She reminded herself as she faced the large door leading to Hatori's office. _I'm really nuts but I want to know. Besides, I'm going to ask him not to smother him._

She took a deep breath and nodded. _Here I go… and again, this is the only way._

She knocked at the door and went inside.

There she had an eye contact with Hatori, who was sitting at his desk.

"What do you want?" he asked flatly.

"C-Can I ask you a question?" she shyly asked.

"No, you're a maid. You don't have the right to say that. You also don't have the right to ask. Leave now." He ordered.

"B-But it's only one question…"

"I don't care. Leave."

She took a deep breath and shouted. "Why are you so heartless???"

He stood up and shouted back. "How dare you raise your voice to me?"

"I don't care! I'm trying to ask you a question but you just completely ignored me!" she said angrily. "If you continue to be like this, people will never like you!!!"

He quickly went towards her and, to Tohru's surprise, slapped her on the face.

Okaa-san… 

"Honda Tohru, never I was insulted like that in my entire life!"

"…" she kept herself silent.

"People respect me because I can carry myself well better than others. Look at you!" he growled. "Do you think that people will like you because you are a maid, a servant… A PEASANT! I don't think so. People nowadays will like you because you are rich and educated, not because you are loyal and deserving!"

"…so that's why… you killed her…" she murmured.

"Excuse me?"

"So that's why… you killed you own wife." She looked up to him. "Because she's a peasant!!"

Caused by anger, his idle hand quickly gripped her neck while his other was clenched tightly at his side.  He stared at her deeply.  _She's scared… I know it… but she made me do it. She made me angry…_

To his own surprise, his other hand quickly, instead of slapping her (which he intended to do), he punched her… hard.

Tohru sat on the floor uneasily, her hands covering her face. Hatori remained motionless as he thought about what he had done. Before he could say another word, she quickly stood up and ran out of the office, ignoring his face, his gaze and simply ignoring him.

While Tohru was running out the door, Haru was there by the stairs looking at her. Then he looked at the opened door of Hatori's office.

_This had gone too far. I should tell Yuki._

_I'm sorry Tohru… but he cares about you…_

"Have you seen Tohru?" Yuki asked.

"…hmm, let me think." Kagura wondered as she sliced the carrots. "After she asked me about Kana, I told her to go to you. Then… I don't know."

"Shoot, where could she be…"

"Why are you so worried, nezumi-san?" Kyou grumbled as he finished off his cereal.

"At least I'm educated enough to worry about others. Look at you, all that you worry is eating your cereal in the middle of the day." Yuki pressed.

"Why you---"

"Please stop it, both of you!" Kagura ordered. "She could be anywhere. All we have to do is to find."

"How about we shout her name?" Kyou suggested. "That way, she'll be the one who'll approach us."

"We're not Tarzan." The nezumi mumbled. "We're educated people---"

"At least I'm giving a suggestion. That's what an educated person does. RIGHT?!"

"Stop it!" Kagura banged the spatula on the table. "This won't go anywhere!"

After a while, Haru went inside the room and panted. "Tohru left the mansion."

All of them stared at him. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know." Haru explained. "She just… left…"

"But Hatori won't let her leave!" Kagura said.

Haru shrugged. "Actually, she went inside Hatori's office…alone."

Yuki went close to his cousin. "Did you eavesdropped on them?"

"No…"

"Damn." He whispered.

Haru wondered for a while and whispered blankly. "Actually, Yuki…"

"Yes?" Yuki turned around to listen.

"…there are some things that Tohru hasn't mentioned to you…"

"Sir coachman!" Ayame hissed. "We need to get to the mansion immediately!"

"Why did we stop?!" Shigure yelled. "We are very important people, for crying out loud!!!"

"I'm sorry, sirs, but I'm afraid we hit something…"

"Leave it alone!" the inu yelled---

"…or someone, sir!" the coachman explained. "I think we hit someone sir."

"Oh my God, Shigure!" Ayame clutched near his cousin. "We committed a crime!"

"Nonsense! Is he still alive???" he asked.

"Sir, I can't see…" the coachman said slowly. "It's too foggy out here and the rain has gone wild out here sir… but I think it's a she, sir."

"Oh, what a waste of---" Shigure stopped talking and turned to Ayame. "Did he just say _she_?"

"My hearing is perfect and I also heard the same thing!!!" Ayame yelled excitedly. They both went out of the carriage.

True, it was foggy and rainy outside, but the Sohmas managed to walk on the wet, slippery road towards the girl.

_I can't believe this is my luck! _Ayame wondered. _First, I will welcome her in my house and feed her and sew her clothes and…_

_I can't believe my luck! _Shigure thought happily. _First, I'll take her to the mansion, and let her in my room and I'll say, "you're clothes are wet, my dear. Let me take them off for you…"…_

But both of them suddenly stopped once they recognized the girl whom the _bumped_ to.

It was Tohru, on the middle of the road, with her left arm and leg bleeding. She was clutching her chest tightly and from afar, they could recognize the bruises found on her faces.

"TOHRU!!!" They both approached her quickly. 

"What happened to you?"

"Where did you get these bruises???"

"These are punches… who did this to you?!"

"Where my brother?"

Tohru didn't answer their questions. She didn't even manage to look at their faces. Instead, she leaned at Ayame's strong shoulder and held Shigure's hand tightly before she lost consciousness.

_I'm tired…_

_Tohru-chan, hang on!!!_


	14. 14

"But Sir…"

"Yuki calm down…" Kagura patted him but he brushed her hands away.

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?!" he yelled. For the fifth time, Yuki called all the officials to help him in his search. In the Sohma's memory, this was the first time she saw him very angry.

"But Yuki, it's 4 in the morning." Haru added. "Nobody's awake at this hour---"

"I don't care! Tohru's out there and she needs me!!!" he said angrily. "YOU!"

"Y-yes.." an official bowed lowly. 

"Get your men and search every house in the place and---"

"YUKI!" Kagura yelled. "Stop this! This is not you!"

"How can you tell?!" Yuki turned to stare at her.

"Because you are never this angry before."

"And now you can see me like this, you should get used to this." he mumbled.

"Then tell me, once you find Tohru, what are you going to do?" she asked. "Tell her to come back to the mansion?"

Yuki opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He thought for a moment and soon, ignored Kagura's question. "Go now." He ordered the official. "I want your report by noon."

"Yes." The man said.

"What about my question, Yuki?" she pressed. "What are you going to tell her?"

"Please Kagura, I don't have time."

"And neither does she." Kagura said softly. "Yuki, she's hurt… and she needs to be alone… somewhere far…"

"I know but… I just can't…"

"Let her go, Yuki…" she patted him. "Let her go."

Because of this, Yuki released his anger and dismissed his officials.

Kagura smiled at him. "It's your birthday today." She said softly. "Try to keep a happy mood, ok?"

"…ok." He silently replied.

"Ne-san?" Kisa knocked at the door. "Ne-san, are you okay?"

There was no reply. 

"Ne-san, Aya-san wants to talk to you. Can you please open the door?" Kisa called softly.

There was still no reply. She backed out from the door and stared at the man beside her. "I'm sorry. I think she can't hear us."

"It's alright, Kisa…" Ayame patted her head gently. "I understand her. Even though we don't know what happened, I believe she felt so bad about something that forced her to leave the mansion." 

He sighed loudly. "I wondered what happened."

"I know." Shigure stormed inside the house.

"Gure-san! Where have you been?"

"I dropped by at Mit-chan's house and at the mansion to fix some things. Then I met Haru." He said seriously. "And, believe me, without asking him, he told me everything that I need to know."

"What happened?" Kisa tugged the novelist's sleeve.

"Ahh, Kisa-chan, I believe we should sit down and talk about it…"

"You're looking for Tohru?" Uo asked again.

"Yes…" Yuki replied calmly.

"Wait a minute, you're the guy that I met a few days weeks ago." Uo wondered. "You're the guy who's also looking for Tohru!"

"Where is she?"

"Beat me." She shrugged. "She hasn't returned for the past few weeks."

"She's…" Yuki stood still. "…not here?"

"Tohru's a person who intimately likes adventures. She's a type of person who does a lot of exploring without anyone knowing." Uotani flipped her hair. "So, who are you anyway? Are you her boyfriend or something?"

Yuki stared at her. _Boyfriend?_ He slightly chuckled. "um, no. I'm her… um…"

"Cmon, I haven't got all day." She said crankily. "Who are you to her?"

He kept his face down and wondered deeply. _Who am I to her? Why can't I just answer that question? _

_I'm her friend. I'm her companion._

_I'm…nobody…_

"Thanks anyway…" he left.

"WAIT!" Uotani called out. "I haven't got your name yet."

"You are the only one." Shigure said firmly.

"Why me?" Hatori asked as he sat lazily on the couch.

"You _caused_ **_everything _**to be like this." Aya pointed out. "Why can't you just apologize to her?"

"Why did you even punched a defenseless woman in the first place?!" Kisa yelled.

"Quiet Kisa."

"I… it wasn't my fault." He shook his head. "I got carried away---"

"GOT CARRIED AWAY?!" Kisa stood up.

"Kisa…" Ayame warned her. "Hatori, what has Tohru done to you?"

"… nothing. I just…"

"Please, we need your help." Shigure pleaded. "She won't come out her room."

"She won't come out her room if _I _called her out." Hatori said firmly.

"But the only voice that got stuck in her head is yours." Ayame reminded his cousin. "Besides, we really need your help as a doctor."

"Why?"

"She dressed her own wounds." Kisa replied calmly. 

"Please…" 

_ …it's even my fault in the first place. _"Alright." He nodded. "I'll do it."

Uotani approached the table and fully drank her coffee. "I can't believe that guy!" she mumbled. "I met him twice already, asked me the same question, and left me without even telling me his name!" 

She banged her fist at the table. "I demand respect! Besides," she glanced at the clock. "It's 5:30 in the morning, for crying out loud!"

"Cease yourself, Uo-san…" Hana said calmly. "I also sense the same aura in him… he has never change…"

"Yeah, whatever." She replied lazily. "Hey, has Tohru called you up or anything? She seems to be missing again."

"I see…" Hanajima stared at her cup. "I see inappropriate patterns in the tea leaves." She sighed. "I fear… that Tohru is in deep sadness."

"Is she hurt?"

"Yes… but it cannot be seen." She nodded.

Uo sat back at her chair and stared at the ceiling. "I can't believe that I'm actually believing you but… I feel like Tohru needs our help…"

"But where she is…." Hanajima said sadly. "…is something that I cannot foresee."

"You're right…" Uo nodded. "Hey, let's talk about the ball of the Sohmas this evening."

"Not again…" the other mumbled.

Hatori sighed and knocked at the door at the end of the hall twice. "Honda Tohru?"

He heard a slight crash inside. "Can you open the door please?"

He leaned his ear against the door. He heard nothing but some crumpling and whirling of the wind. _Papers… open window… she must have wrecked the room and even broke the glass window. _

"I don't mean any harm." He whispered. "It's 6:00 in the morning. I just want to start the day right."

_For good sakes, Ayame, I need the key---_

"Found it!" Ayame shouted as he ran towards the doctor.

"Could you please try to be a bit civilized?" Hatori mumbled.

"Here." He handed the key, "Please do apologize!"

"I will, I will…"

Hatori pushed the key inside and turned the knob. As it opened, Ayame backed out two steps. "Good luck." He whispered.

Hatori forced himself to walk inside with his medicine bag. To his surprise, the room was completely clean. The bed wasn't touched and the appliances were not moved. He saw the cabinet door swaying back and forth, with white clean sheets hanging loosely on one side. 

Another noise behind him made him jump on his place. He searched and saw papers on the desk "move" as the wind blew gently. _So that's where the noise came from. _

At the end of the room, his eyes focused on the balcony, where he saw a strange figure dressed in white cloth. As he moved towards it, the moonlight shone and the figure moved.

A woman turned around and stared at him.

His visions came back and forth in his mind.

_Kana… _

Before he knew it, a stroke of pain rushed in his mind and his body failed to catch him. He then collapsed on the floor.

But before that, he felt a hand reach out and grabbed his.

"Hatori-san!"


	15. 15

_I'm very S-L-O-W today!_ _I don't know why!!! Gomen, gomen… I just don't know why!!!_

_Oh yeah, we're still very far from the ending… I think…_

Hatori stirred at his sleep. He clasped the sheets that covered him. _I'm in a bed… but which bed?_

He looked up and a pair of large brown eyes stared back at him.

"Hatori-san?"

He sat up quickly. "Honda Tohru!"

Tohru faced him calmly. She was wearing a white dress and held her braided hair with a white ribbon. She blushed slightly. "Ano… please don't take those sheets off."

"What?"

"Um, you're undressed…" she whispered.

Hatori looked down and…he was undressed. The white bedsheet was the only thing that covered his…*thing*. "Why---"

"You collapsed." She answered quickly. "I tried to reach out but… I landed on top of you…" she bowed lowly. "I'm sorry."

"…you…didn't panic?" he asked.

"Iie, this was the…um… not my first time to make a Sohma transform." She giggled. "Believe me, when I first learned that a mouse was talking to me, I almost dropped dead at that time… wait, I did dropped dead!" she laughed happily.

_Yuki…_ Hatori slightly giggled. "So… Yuki was the first…"

"Hai!"

"You're just like her…" he whispered.

She twitched her head. "Who?"

"…Kana…" he breathed out and stared at her. He face expression changed quickly and lowered her head a little.

"I'm… sorry." He whispered. "…I didn't mean to---"

"It's ok." She replied. "I got used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Being abused…" 

He suddenly went furious. "Has any of my servants---"

"No, it's not from the mansion." She shook her head. "It's from … my own home… from my own step brothers…"

"Really?" he asked. "Haven't you told anyone? The police?"

"I tried but I ended up being blackmailed." She answered.

"But… does your parents even care?"

She looked up. "My mother died when I was young… and my father… he was the reason why I don't tell anybody." She replied. "He was sick and… they can harm him…"

"I see…" _She grew up in a lonely life… and this was the only chance when she can live up her life happily. And I was there to ruin it… _Hatori thought. _I timed this badly._

"Um… Hatori-san?" she whispered. "Since we're not in the mansion anymore, can I now ask a question?"

Hatori chuckled at her innocent look. "Yes, you may."

She smiled slightly. "Ano… I was just curious and… it maybe a bit odd but…"

"Just ask it." He said firmly.

"Did you kill…Kana-san?" Tohru asked with her eyes closed and her hands clasped on her lap.

Hatori stared at her curiously. "Is that the rumor that spreads in your place?"

She looked at him. "For many years, yes."

"I see…" He slowly approached her. He was aware that she was backing out so he reached her hand pulled her towards him.

"Hatori-san!"

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said quickly. "I just wanted to whisper this to you."

He gently brushed her hair and gazed at her eyes. "Tohru-san, I didn't kill my wife."

"Really?" she asked as if she doesn't believe him.

"Before the eyes of god, we were married and we loved each other." He explained. "I loved her with all my life and I would give everything to her to be happy. It's very impossible for me to kill her."

Tohru felt relieved but a sense of confusion arose on her mind. "But why did we hear a different side of the story? And why didn't the Sohmas reacted to it?"

"…I believe somebody is planning to ruin my life… and until now, he rages enough to keep me hanging loosely against the Sohma clan so that---"

"Yuki would be the center of attention." She finished his sentence.

"Yes, that's true." He nodded.

"But that must mean somebody who is as powerful as you wanted to keep you away from Yuki!" Tohru wondered. "Do you know this _somebody_, Hatori-san?"

He smiled at her. "Yes I do… I think…" He grinned as he saw her begging eyes. "But I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because… I believe that once I tell you, you will be at the same state with Kana soon." He explained.

"But… Kana is dead…" she blurted out.

"You get the idea?" he asked. "Besides, you still have a lot to know---"

"Did Kana knew everything?" she asked hesitantly.

Hatori nodded slowly. "And I wasn't there to warn her about… that _somebody_ we're talking about."

"I see…" she nodded.

"Again… I'm really sorry about what I did." He said. "I… got carried away."

"It's ok, Hatori-san. I'm fine. See?" she stood up and swayed her arms. "I don't feel any---"

There was rush of pain on her ribs and she winced. Hatori quickly grabbed her arm. 

"I believe I should check your wounds, ok?"

"Hai… but first…" she slightly blushed. "Wear some clothes, ok?"

Yuki sat at the balcony and stared at the vast land before him. _On my birthday tonight, I will officially win everything that I see right now… and I would be the most powerful Sohma…_

_But still, I don't know how to win her heart._

_Honda-san… I'm worried about you…_

_I want to know why… why I always think about you… what am I to you… _

_I just couldn't figure out…_

Hatori closed the door behind him and smiled. _Glad that's over. _

"Tori!" Ayame called. "Finally, you came out. So, how is my little angel?"

"She's fine… and she forgave me." He replied.

"Yes! That's how it should go!" the snake cheered.

"Ayame," Hatori stared at his cousin. "She reminded me very much of somebody."

"Aah, sweet goddess Athena---"

"No." he glared. "Kana…"

"Oh…" Ayame smiled. "Why did you say that?"

Hatori calmly on a chair. "Both were peasants. Both found an animal that talks---"

"But Kana found you---"

"Both became maids in the Sohma mansion… both were _hurt,_" Hatori continued. "and left the mansion---"

"But Akito hurt Kana---"

"And both went to the same person after leaving the mansion." Hatori glared at his cousin. "To you, to be exact."

Ayame nodded. "I see your point. Both of them are alike and…ahh!" he gasped. "Both happened on the same day!"

"What do you mean?"

"It's Yuki's birthday today…" Ayame cheered. "and the party will be tonight!"

"Kana… she left on _my _birthday and…" Hatori wondered. "…attended the party that night!"

"Tohru should attend the party tonight!" the snake yelled happily. "Tori-san! Kana and Tohru are very much alike---"

"Except one…" Hatori stared at him. "This is a masquerade ball. A _formal _ball. Back at my time, it was semi-formal."

"Don't worry." Ayame winked. "I'll help Tohru to be the best… and I'll give the best clothes… so that Yuki will have his eyes on her… like you did on Kana."

"Remember… masquerade ball. How would Yuki know that the woman in front of him is Tohru?" Hatori asked.

"You'll just have to know."

  
  



	16. 16

"Hello, Yuki!" Kagura greeted. "Happy birthday!!!" 

Yuki was staring off to space, his hands were firmly clasped at his sides as he stared out of the balcony. It took a few minutes for Yuki to turn around and smile in reply.

"Hello, Kagura-san…"

"You seem pretty sad today…" she stared at him. "What wrong?"

He sighed unhappily and shook his head. "Nothing. Maybe I don't feel like 18 years old today."

"Really?" she gaped in an unusual tone. Yuki laughed in reply.

"I'm fine, Kagura. I really am." He sounded convincing so she nodded.

"Good. Remember, masquerade ball tonight. With a mask, ok?"

"Right." _Is this what Akito wanted? Does he want me to dance all of those women just to be famous, and not letting them know my name?_

_I guess he doesn't want to repeat what happened to Hatori back at his time… the time when he met Kana on his birthday…_

"I'll be just out there---"

"Just be careful." Hatori assured. "You're still wounded."

"I will. I won't be long." Tohru smiled for the last time. "I'll just be visiting some people." With that, she left Ayame's house.

"Where is she going?" Aya asked as he approached the doctor.

"Somewhere. But I'm a bit concerned---"

"Daijobu, Hatori-san. Nothing will happen." The snake assured as he raised a simple white house dress for Hatori to see.

He stared at it. "What do you want me to do? Wear it?"

"No, silly!" Ayame giggled. "This is what Tohru used to wear when she stayed here in my house."

"I see…"

"I'll just copy the measurements and poof!" he explained. "The magic begins."  
Hatori grinned at his cousin. "What do you mean _the magic begins_?"

"Anything the Tohru wears becomes enchanted." Ayame grinned. "You'll see…"

"Tohru-kun!!!" Uotani embraced her friend happily. "I'm happy that you're back!"

"SO am I!" she answered. After a long hug, she looked around for Hanjima. "Where is she?"

"Oh, scaring customers as usual…"

Tohru wondered. "Customers?"

"Well, you see, we're running out of budget so we decided to put up a simple business on our own." Uo said proudly. "I put an inn while she… well, plans to be a psychic."

"Oh…" the onigiri wondered, visualizing her friend in a long black robe with a crystal ball on one hand and tarot cards on the other. __

"SO…" Uo smiled. "What brings you here?"

Before they continued their conversation, a man approached Uotani and bowed. "Your dresses are finished, madam. I left them on your room." He said quickly. 

"Thank you." She smiled. "You may leave."

Tohru giggled. "I never knew that you wear dresses, Uo-san."

"Silly! I won't wear those dresses now!" Uo laughed. "They're for the ball."

"Ball?"

"Don't you know??? It's the handsome Sohma's 18th birthday! Now even we peasants are invited… as long as you have a dress and have a mask." Uotani twirled happily.

"A Masquerade ball? I didn't know that you're interested in parties either!"

"I'm not! I'm just there to witness those silly girls who are over those Sohmas. Plus," Uo added. "It was Hanajima's request."

"Hana-san?"

"He wanted to touch the celebrant's hands." She explained. "She explains that she could predict the town's future through that. If it ends up to be bad, we are leaving this place."

"Oh…" Tohru sighed. _They must be talking about Yuki. That's right. It's his birthday tonight. And… _

"Are you coming, Tohru-kun?" A question came. That's the one-million-dollar question for Tohru. _Am I coming?_

"I…" she started to speak.

"Oh yes!" Uotani spoke. "Your mother left something. I bet you'll love it!" she rushed back inside the house and at the same time, a man approached her.

"You must be Uotani's friend."

"Hai." Tohru smiled. "I'm Honda Tohru."

"Honda… Tohru?" the man repeated. "Are you the one who's the close friend of Ayame Sohma?"

"Hai!" she replied happily. "DO you know him?"

"Of course I do." The man brushed his _silvery_ hair back and smiled. "He's a close friend of mine." 

"Really?" she smiled.

"No wonder why he likes you."

"Who?"

"Yuki." The man whispered, almost like air but at all costs, Tohru heard it. She stepped back for a moment before she bumped to another person. 

"Hey!" Uo growled. "Slow down, man! You almost wrecked the dress!"

"Huh?" Tohru turned around and saw Uotani carrying a gown that was about her size. It was pale white from the sleeves to the end of the dress with silvery beads and white stitches around the frontal part of the dress.

"Your mother wore this when the Sohmas had a ball years ago." She explained. "She handed this to me for me to wear but,,, she doesn't know that I hate dresses so… since you're her daughter, I'll hand this to you."

"Eh?" she held the dress near her. "I-I don't know if it's in my size---?"

"Wear it on the ball." Uo winked. "Good luck. I'll be meeting you there."

"B-But…" Before she could even reply, a carriage stopped in front of them.

"Onee-san!" Kisa called out. "Aya-san needs you now!"

"Now?" Tohru asked.

Uo leaned against her friend. "Keep the dress and go."

"Eh?" the onigiri asked confusedly. Before she could even react, Kisa pulled her inside and went on their way. 

"Nan de…" Uo watched as her friend was taken away. "Who was that girl anyway???"

"Kisa Sohma…" the man murmured.

"Kisa? Really?" Uotani grinned. "A Sohma eh? Seems like Tohru found her way to fame and fortune." She turned to look at him. "You seemed to know a lot."

"I'm updated." He grinned.

"See you around then." Uo smiled. "Will you be staying for the night?"

"Iie, I need to find some clothes for the party tonight."

"Ah, ok, see you around, Kazuma-san." She replied.

He grinned mysteriously. _I only won't be seeing YOU around. _He turned to leave. _I'll also be seeing her…_

"Onee-san…" Kisa whispered. "DO you know that guy?"

"What guy?"

"The one that you talked to a while ago." She asked.

Tohru smiled. "No, I haven't seen him before. Why?"

"…he looked very familiar." Kisa replied as she wondered again.

"He knows a lot…" the onigiri smiled. "about Sohmas… the ball… About yuki…and me…"

"Really?" Kisa asked. "That means he had been friends with Sohmas before. No wonder he knows a lot." She looked down at the dress Tohru was holding. "What's that?"

"Oh," she held it up. "My mom's dress. Uo-san mentioned something about Sohma ball and she forced me to go."

"Ne-san, you have to go, silly~!" Kisa nudged her in the elbow. "This is Yuki's birthday!"

"I… I know but…" she looked away.

"Just go there! It's a masquerade ball. He can't tell you among the other two hundred women!"

"Y-You're right, Kisa-san…" _She's right. A masquerade ball. I'll be wearing a mask… the only thing that can separate me and Yuki-kun. Once I wear it, he won't know it's me._

_Besides, it's only a party. What could happen in a party if me and Yuki-kun are involved?_

"It's PERFECT!!!" Ayame twirled the dress around. "This is the dress of your mother?"

"Hai." She smiled. "I've never seen my mother wear it---"

"It's magnificent. This will be the one." He exclaimed.

"Eh?"

"You'll be wearing this tonight at the ball!"

"NANI?!" Tohru stepped back and almost tripped at Hatori.

"Slow down." Hatori held her shoulders before she would even fall at him. "It's a masquerade ball and also Yuki's birthday. Whether you like it or not, you're coming."

"B-But…" Tohru stood still and looked at the two older men. "I-I'm… not invited…"

"Whoever is close to Yuki gets a free pass…" Ayame winked. "…without permission or not."

"You have to be there." Hatori repeated again.

"B-But… I-I…"

"What's the matter Tohru-san? It's a masquerade ball." The snake said softly. "And it's just a party."

"I don't have a gift." She said quickly.

"Being there for him is the best gift he'll receive for tonight." Hatori said. 

"W-what do you mean? Am…" she looked up. "Am I really that special?"

"To him, yes." Aya replied. "It's his birthday and he's looking forward to celebrate it with you. Please just be there…"

"But…"

"Ne-san, you shouldn't worry." Kisa held her hand. "You already had the clothes and the mask and the invitation. Just be there."

"I…I don't know the things people like you used to do!" she cried. "If it's a ball, there are manners and formal food and… dancing!"

Hatori smiled at her warmly. "You'll be fine."

"Hai, you'll just learn to blend in, Tohru-san." Ayame smiled. 

"I don't know…" She looked down.

They let her sit on the couch and think for a while _Why me? Yuki-kun… why me?_

"Tohru…" Hatori knelt beside her. "3 hours"

"What?"

"3 hours… no, even 2 hours." He corrected. "Just be there for 2 hours. If you want to stay after that, then you may. If you want to leave, no one's stopping you."

"Hatori-san…" _for two hours only? _Tohru thought.

"It would be much better if you even just talk to Yuki…" the dragon said. "…even with your mask on."

"But it would be a better option if you take it off and smile at him---"

"Ayame, don't push Tohru too hard." Hatori reminded him. "Tohru, just be there in the party for two hours, talk to him with your mask on and leave the mansion if you want to."

"Really?" Tohru asked again. 

"Just do that… think of it as a favor." The doctor smiled again.

"…ok…"

"That's the spirit!" Ayame raised her dress. "Let's see if this suits you well…"

Yuki stood before the mirror, wearing his best black suit and carrying his black mask in one hand. He stared at his reflection and kept his face blank. _Tonight, I will turn eighteen… the age when I will legally rule over the Sohma property. Eigteen-year-old Yuki Sohma shall make a difference…_

He wore the mask and stared at his reflection. _If Tohru will be here tonight, I hope she'll recognize me behind this mask… and I hope I'll also recognize her._

_Kami-sama, please don't let us be apart. I wanted to see her tonight…_

_I want to tell her how I really feel…_

_Tohru…_

Tohru stared at her reflection at the tall glass mirror. She looked down at her mother's dress that she's wearing and the white feathery mask in her hand. She again looked at her reflection. _Okaa-san, tonight is the night that I won't forget. Tonight is the night that for once I'll act as a princess… and Yuki as a prince…_

She wore the white mask and smiled at her reflection. She twirled around one time. _Kisa-chan, Hatori-san, Ayame-san, Uo-san… thank you for everything. For once, I'll be looking up to happiness and… I'll be with Yuki._

_I hope Yuki recognizes me in this outfit…_

_---Kekeke, I really like this stuff_

_---The masquerade ball will officially start next chapter. Ja ne! :)_


	17. 17

Kisa slowly took out her tape recorder from her purple bag and clicked it to turn it on. She held it close to her lips as she whispered, "Ne, this is Agent Kisa, your official reporter for the day. We are now approaching the Sohma Mansion, where the special celebration lies for my dearest older cousin Yuki Sohma."

She turned to look at Tohru at her side. "I am now here with Honda Tohru-san. She now wears a special white gown given and worn by her mother from the past Sohma celebration. Since this is a masquerade ball, Ayame-san made a special mask for her which is suitable for the gown itself."

She went closer and whispered. "Ne-san, say something…"

"Eh?" Tohru turned to look at her. "What are you doing, Kisa-chan?"

"I'm making a documentary for Ayame-san." Kisa explained. "He said that he's not coming…"

"Mou… why not?!" the onigiri asked sadly.

"Ne, he has some things to do but don't worry." Kisa smiled. "I'll be right here." She raised the tape recorder. "Let's get going to our interview, ne? I need to keep things updated for Ayame-san…"

"What?"

She giggled. "Anyway… a few hours ago," she continued her speech with the recorder. "Ne-san made a agreement with Hatori-san that she would stay in the party for an hour and talk to Yuki. Ooh… sounds like a dare…" 

Kisa turned to Tohru. "How does it feel?"

"…nervous… but I think… this is a great opportunity to meet up with Yuki-kun." Tohru answered finally. "But I think… he won't even know me…"

"Ne-san, it's not over yet. Just stay cool and you'll be just---" Kisa stopped as their vehicle jerked sideways. 

"Maam, we have reached the Sohma mansion." The driver called up ahead. After a few moments, the door opened and both ladies stepped outside the vehicle.

"Ne, it is officially… 8:00 in the evening! Countdown for two hours starts now!" Kisa said excitingly while Tohru stared at the mansion in front of her.

Okaa-san, like Cinderella, I'll be stepping at the doors of the castle and I'll be meeting my prince. He will come from the highest doors of the house like an angel coming from heaven. I hope he'll see me….

"Ne-san, let's go in!"

"Hai…"

"Where are you going?" Kagura asked as she followed Yuki towards the back door.

"I can't stay here." He muttered.

"What do you mean you can't stay here?! It's your birthday for crying out loud!" she yelled. And this is your party! I think you're the only birthday celebrant in the history who runs away from a birthday party!" 

"I have something to do---"

"At this time of the night?!" she argued. "Wearing those clothes?!"

Yuki looked down at the suit he was wearing. "I'll be out for a while. I need to see someone before I…do this."

"Where are you going then?" Kagura said with her arms crossed. She frowned, while he smiled.

"I'll be okay. I won't be long." He assured. "I promise."

"It is officially 8:08 in the evening." Kisa whispered at her tape recorder. "SO far, I am standing near the food table while Ne-san is getting some punch. It seems like Yuki-kun is not here yet."

"There you are…"

Kisa spun around and smiled. "Haru-san!"

Haru was wearing a blue tuxedo with matching silver mask. He grinned at her. "Nice, you recognized me."

"Of course, you're a Sohma." She giggled.

"Huh?" he pointed at the tap recorder she was holding. "What's that for?"

"For Ayame-san…" she whispered. "He's not coming…"

"Why?"

"He has reasons---"

"To miss his brother's birthday??? That's not right." Haru pointed.

"Ei!" Kagura called out. "Have you seen Kyou?"

"Kyou?" Haru wondered. "It's really very impossible for him to be here."

"Nani?!" she pouted.

"Have you seen Yuki?"

"He just left… for something…" Kagura thought.

Haru stared at her. "He left? But why?"

"Dunno…"

Tohru glanced at her watch. _8:30._ She looked up the huge grandfather clock near her. _8:31._

She sighed and wondered. _Okaa-san, time is so slow against me. I don't know why…_

"My GOD!"

Tohru spun around and a woman in orange gown stared at her. "Could it be? Is it she???"

"Eh???" Tohru wondered.

"It can't be… but it's you!" she yelled as she hugged her. "Oh my God, Tohru! It's been a long time…"

_Okaa-san, who is she? _Her eyes focused to another girl from behind. She wore a dark violet dress with a mysterious black mask. Her eyes roared at her… but it gave Tohru an idea who she is.

"Hana-san." She called.

"Ne???" the orange dressed girl pulled back and stared at the onigiri. "How come you remember her and not me?!"

Tohru sweatdropped. "Iie, I didn't, Uo-san." She smiled.

"Yes, I'll be right there." Ayame sang as he placed the receiver on the table. "Gure is such a persuasive person." He opened his closet and got his best suit out. "He even forced me to go his party. *sigh* I still need to reschedule everything…"

Just then, the doorbell rang. He swiftly but lazily went towards the door, his suit was still on his arm. As he opened it, he stared at the man outside.

It was Yuki.

"My dear brother!" he yelled. "What are you doing here? Should you be at the party?"

Yuki didn't say anything. His eyes were focused to Ayame, giving him the chills.

"Are… are you ok?" Ayame asked. He was a bit concerned. _He doesn't look so good. I wonder…_

"Let's go…" Yuki whispered.

"Huh?" 

"Take me somewhere." The young Sohma ordered. "Anywhere… miles from here… away from everything…"

"Why?" He dropped his suit and placed his hands on Yuki's shoulders. "Why is it? Why do you want to run away?"

"…I'm eighteen." The nezumi whispered and stared at him. "I just broke away. I'm not a puppet anymore…"

Ayame smiled. "Of course you are. From the very beginning, you are not a puppet. You are a Sohma. We are independent, right?"

"Yes but…"

"You have to be in the party." Ayame reminded him. "Everybody expects you… even her…"

"Tohru?" he suddenly asked.

The older Sohma smiled. "Yes, she's waiting… probably, her time is running out. If you won't be there on time, maybe… just maybe, she won't see you again."

"Why?" Yuki asked curiously.

"This is the last night when the two worlds collide as one." Ayame said dramatically. "Tell me, you're eighteen and the riches of Sohma will be passed to you. You are a rich and famous… but what about Tohru? She cannot even enter the premises of the Sohma mansion."

"This is the only night when she sees you as an equal." Ayame ended. "Please be there…."

Yuki thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes I will."

"Good."

"What are you waiting for?!" Yuki asked. "Get dressed! You can't miss my party! You're my brother!"

"Hai…Hai…" _God, now I can see he's old enough to order me around._

Tohru again glanced at the watch. _8:50. _She sighed heavily. _One hour left…_

"Mou… where is Yuki-kun?" Kisa cried.

"He'll be here." Haru whispered.

"How can you say that?"

Soon the music stopped and all of them looked at the main door. Two men in black suits came. And one of them had no mask on.

"Ayame-san!" Gure yelled. "You're supposed to wear a mask!"

"Sorry…" Ayame laughed. 

Tohru's eyes were not focused at Ayame but at the younger one beside him. _Black suit… black mask… my height and… silvery hair…_

Her heart was pounding fast. She clamped her hands together. _Okaa-san… I have a sudden feeling…that this person next to Ayame-san is…_

Yuki scanned the room for a familiar face (or mask) and his eyes caught a woman in striking white gown and white feathery mask. _My height… long brown hair…This… this cannot be…_

Their eyes met… and soon the music began.

Kisa smiled and held her recorder. "Agent Kisa here." She whispered. "Officially it is 8:55 in the evening. An hour has passed but it's not over yet. They're already here… and it's up to them to meet each other…"


	18. 18

Kisa glanced at her watch. It was nine in the evening. After Yuki made grand entrance (with Ayame), he made his way towards the dinner table, where he sat the best seat in the house. The guests and the women couldn't do anything but to gape at him while he was eating.

She sighed as she saw Tohru at the guest table with Ayame. 

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Um… so far so good I guess…" she replied shyly.

"Do you like the dress?"

She nodded silently.

"Do you want me to get you something? A drink perhaps?" 

She shook her head quickly.

Ayame smiled as he touched Tohru's small hand. "Tohru-san…"

"Eh?" her head tilted upwards.

"Just a few more moments." He said. "Yuki doesn't really like to eat."

"Eh?" she wondered. "Ne, Ayame-san, don't force him. Let him eat."

"Really, Tohru, after a while he'll stop eating and he'll approach the piano room for a while to cool himself off." He explained. "Trust me, every Sohma does the same routine every year. It will be against Akito's plans if they disobey."

After a few moments, in the middle of the dinner, Yuki stood up and, as Ayame said, he went towards the piano room. Several officials and Sohmas followed in.

"What will happen inside?" she asked.

"That will depend on Yuki." Ayame nodded. "Back when I was eighteen, we went inside there to discuss something about property and power. Mostly Hatori did the understanding. I just nodded and nodded… and finally it is over."

"Will it take that long?"

He chuckled lightly. "Honestly, I can't imagine how excited you are to talk to him!"

"Ah!" she blushed lightly. "N-No it's just that… I need to… It's part of…"

At a nearby place, Kisa was watching everything. 

"9:05 pm. Ne-san is sitting with the pervert and… Oh my! She's blushing?!" Kisa almost yelled. "I can't believe she's falling for him!"

"Falling for what?" A voice lurked behind her.

"Shigure-san!" Kisa almost lost her balance but Gure straighten her up. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be inside with Yuki!"

"Yes, I should be, my little simple-minded cousin, but unfortunately I was distracted by a mere simple creatures called _women_. So I decided to investigate about it."

"You mean _harass them_, right?" Kisa joked. 

"Whatever terms may fit you." Shigure glanced at Ayame. "It seems like Ayame found himself another… _friend._"

"Actually…" Kisa sweatdropped. "That's ne-san."

"NANI?!"

"Are you ok?" Ayame asked.

"Nothing… it's just that…" she stood up. "May I know where's the ladies room?"

"Ah, yes." Ayame stood up. "Second hall, to the left."

"Thank you, Ayame-san…" she left and he sat down again. 

As Tohru left, Shigure grinned at Ayame from afar. Because of this, he got up from his seat and approached his cousin.

"Yes?"

"She looks good." Shigure whispered. "And you did well."

"Thank you." He replied. 

"What are you planning?" the inu asked curiously.

"Nothing." He answered. "It's up to Tohru to do the job."

"…what job?"

Tohru hurriedly went inside the ladies room. _Okaa-san, he thinks like this is my mission in life! Oh dear! How did I get mixed up here in the first place?!_

She looked up and saw a woman pulling the door to open. She pulled and pulled but ended up unsuccessful. "What's wrong with this… door?!" she yelled.

"Um…" Tohru approached her. "Do you need some help?"

"EH?" The mystery woman spun around and smiled at her. "Why thank you. But really you don't have to--"

Tohru slowly opened the door by pushing it. As it opened, she smiled to the woman. "Eh, it's open."

"Wow…" the woman smiled. "You're a guest but you know this house better than I do."

"Well, actually, I lived here once." Tohru whispered truthfully.

"REALLY?!" she cried. "Inside the Sohma mansion? With the Sohmas? You must be really liked by them…"

"Maybe…" _I hope…_

"I'm Ritsu." She held out her hand and shook Tohru's small one. "I'm pleased to meet someone who knows how to handle herself."

"Hai, I'm Honda Tohru-san." She replied happily.

"H-Honda T-T-Tohru?" Ritsu suddenly panicked as she stared at the onigiri. "Y-You must be the---"

"There you are!" Kagura patted at Tohru's shoulder. "Yuki just got out from his room. Maybe it's time for you to… ahem…" she stared at Ritsu, "…do the _job_."

"H-Hai, Kagura-san…" she nodded and went to the main hall. Ritsu quickly fell on his knees. "Thank God, I know how to act like a woman."

Kagura shook her head. "I wonder why you feel so different towards women even though you're acting like one."

"I'm sorry, Kagura-san. It's just…" Ristu shook his head. "Hatori told me about this… and so did Aya-san and…"

"I know, I know…" she nodded. "You have never seen someone like her before."

"I wonder if Yuki will like her."

Kagura chuckled heartily. "No, Ritsu."

"Eh?"

She smiled. "He loved her already." She replied. "A mouse is supposed to be fast but… Yuki is a different kind of mouse. He wants to be precise because… he didn't want to lose her again."

Tohru checked in a nearby mirror her reflection. _Okay, I'm wearing a mask. He won't see me. He won't see me. _

She sighed. "Okaa-san, guide me tonight."

She slowly walked towards the main hall, where everybody gathered to meet the new leader. Slow, calming music filled the atmosphere and, as if by instinct, one by one, the guests found their partners and danced against the sweet music that surrounds them. 

Tohru quietly searched for any Sohma she can meet but they were not there. This was the time when she remembered the scene of a _wallflower_, a lonely nobody without a partner.

"Hello…" a calm voice was heard behind her. She slowly looked over her shoulder and kept her eyes focused on the young man behind her. 

The young man has grayish hair, about her height and was wearing a black tuxedo and a black mask. His eyes focused on hers and he, as she remembered, was with Ayame an hour ago. 

"How do you do?" she answered back as calmly as possible. _I should be calm but I can't. I can feel my heart beating fast and I sense nervousness inside me. Okaa-san, I think the person in front of me is Yuki! _

He chuckled lightly. "Why think of me if you should think about yourself?"

"Eh?" She asked confusedly.

He slowly went towards her and whispered on her ear. "Sorry, if I made you wonder, Tohru-kun…"

Tohru stepped back and stared at him. "Pardon me but… may I know who you are?"

"Certainly not, my dear." He answered proudly. "It would be against the arrangement if we would announce our names this early."

"But… you already know who I am!" _He is so annoying!_

"Hmm… I didn't say that you're Tohru-kun. I just _assumed_ you are Tohru-kun." He grinned visibly. "You were just the one who revealed the truth behind your mask."

"Ah…" She couldn't reply. For once, she felt annoyed and ashamed at the same time. _I didn't know that Yuki is like this._

Yuki noticed her panicking in front of him. _I guess I was a bit rough on her. _

"My apologies, my dear." He bowed low. "I guess you wouldn't take my annoyance that easily."

"Maybe…" she whispered and looked away. "But you are a bit annoying."

He thought for a moment and smiled at her. "Who do you think I am?"

"You?" she repeated. "You…" she smiled, "…are annoying."

Yuki smiled hastily. "I think you're scared to guess."

"I'm not… because I already know who you are." She smiled. "Your costume is opposite to mine, Yuki."

_She recognized me. _Yuki sighed happily. "I guess we're even."

"Well, I guess you just revealed the truth behind your mask." She whispered. "I just assumed you are Yuki."

They both laughed at the joke and at the same time, stopped as they heard Kagura made an announcement through the microphone.

"This is for the people out there who thinks that this is their last night. Please give it your all as I support you with this song." She said softly. The light began to dim and a love melody was heard.

"If Kyou-kun was here, he would understand how Kagura loves him." she smiled.

Yuki wasn't even paying attention to Kagura. He was staring at Tohru, thinking that he should do it right now. _I need to tell her. _

"Tohru…" he held her hand. "May I ask you to dance with me?"

She felt a twitch in her head. "But Yuki… I haven't… danced yet… as in dance…" she explained.

Yuki smiled. "Don't worry." He whispered. "Nobody will notice."

Tohru slowly nodded. Even though they're still wearing masks, it won't be a hindrance since they already knew who it was behind it. They already knew that nobody will stop them from being with each other

As they went to the hall and started to dance, Kagura started to sing.

This is my last dance with you… 

**_This is my only chance to do all I can do_**

**_To let you know that what I feel for you is real_**

**_This is the last chance for us…_**

**_This is the moment that I just cannot let end_**

**_Before I know that there's a chance that we're more than friends_**

**_So don't let go, let it last all night…_**

**_This is my last chance to make you mine…_**

"See?" Yuki whispered. "You dance perfectly."

"I…I guess so." She replied. But still, in her voice, Yuki can feel she's very insecure.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked. "Like at the balcony… that way, nobody will see, in case… you are insecure with the people around…"

"But… it's your birthday." Tohru whispered. "You should be in a place where people can see you---"

"Then let them find me." He smiled. She slowly nodded and left the hall. Yuki could see that she's very relieved and he was happy about that. _At least I find something that can cheer her up._

I kept my feeling so deep 

**_I kept my dreams of you and me somewhere inside_**

**_Although I pray that you would see it in my eyes_**

**_But this is my last chance to say_**

**_What's in my heart before you stay out of my life_**

**_And then you'll understand the way I feel inside_**

**_So hold me close cause it feels so right_**

**_This is my last chance to make it mine_**

****

**_Make this dream reality_**

**_So close and you're so far_**

**_Gotta find a way into your heart_**

**_Gotta speak my mind_**

**_Gotta open up to you this time_**

**_I can't let you slip away tpnight_**

****

**_This is my last dance with you_**

**_This is my only chance to do all I can do_**

**_To let you know that what I feel for you is real_**

**_So don't let go_**

**_Just make it last all night long_**

**_This is my last chance to make you…mine…_**

**_To make you mine…_**

****

An applause rang throughout the hall and Kagura bowed endlessly. After that, a gossip was heard that Yuki went somewhere with a woman. Kagura grinned and went down the stage, where someone was waiting for her.

"K-Kyou…kun?" she stared at the man.

Kyou nodded and whispered, "Please don't laugh and scream in front of everybody."

"What are you…"

"Hey!" Ayame hastily went towards them. "I heard from our dear Kisa that they went to the balcony to have some _private_ time." He grinned. "Do you want to watch?"


	19. 19

That very next day, Hatori was busily fixing his documents when he heard a knock at his door. It opened and a head of a child poked inside. "Hatori-san?" Kisa called.

"Kisa… come in." he called back.

Kisa helped herself with the biscuits she found on his desk. "Who made these?"

"Kagura. She's planning to give Kyou some today." He murmured. "I haven't touched those since… you know, something might happen to me." 

"But they're good…" she whispered and handed him some. He then took one and ate it. "Have you seen ne-san?"

"Tohru?" he repeated. "I don't know… must have been spending some time with Yuki as usual."

"What do you mean "as usual"?" she laughed. "A day has passed and nothing happened."

"Nothing? How would you explain Yuki accompanying Tohru to his room?" Hatori grinned at the child. Suddenly, Kisa's smiled faded.

"You're joking…"

"I saw them before they went to bed."

Kisa ran out of the room quickly and Hatori chuckled. "I guess she couldn't take that joke."

Tohru was happily humming while she was fixing her things in her OWN cabinet. Yes, she has moved to Momiji's house as requested by Yuki himself. At that very day, her things were brought by his servants to Momiji's house and Momiji happily welcomed Tohru in.

Tohru stared at the roses that Yuki gave to her when they were at the balcony that night. He smiled at her warmly as he gave it to her. 

She remembered that feeling. It was so romantic!!! _Under the moonlight, during a ball and alone with a bouquet of flowers in his hand! Okaa-san, I was about to faint at that time but… he kept on telling me that I shouldn't be nervous! _She smiled at herself. _We were friends, Okaa-san, but now he is trying to tell me how much he… No, I just can't guess. _

_This was the most romantic night ever. I have never felt so—_

"Tohru?"

Tohru got up from the bed and looked at the door. "Kagura-san!"

The boar came in with a plate of cookies. "HELLO, dear relative!" she sat near Tohru.

"Relative?" she asked innocently.

Kagura stared at her. "Don't tell me he hasn't proposed yet."

This panicked Tohru for a while. "Pr-propose? Kagura! What are you thinking???"

"The same thing the other Sohmas thinks." She smiled. "Momiji thought that Yuki proposed already and that's the reason why he welcomed you in because you are his future wife!"

"W-What?!" _okaa-san, where did they get this idea???_

"If I know, you like that kind of idea." She snarled.

Tohru got up and stared at her. "What are you talking about? We're just friends! I mean… I was asked to dance with him and… spend a little private time together, but that doesn't mean we're… you know!"

"But that's the idea, Tohru-kun, that is it!" Kagura raised her hands and lowered her voice. "Yuki has never, I mean NEVER, been like this before! We are cousins and in sixteen years, Tohru, I observed him and I have never seen him like this!"

"Tohru, even though you know that you did nothing, well you just did." The boar smiled. "You changed his life."

"I-I did…?" she questioned.

"Yes, you did." Kagura grinned. "And it shouldn't be put to waste!"

_Nani?_

"Go and propose to him!"

"Nani???"

"Propose to her?" 

Yuki lifted his head up to look at Haru who was sitting on a tree branch. He had been working in his garden for an hour and finally, Haru shoved that topic to his face. "Are you sure this is the right time?"

"Of course it is! Look, you've already gave her _the vibe_ and all you have to do is to tell her how you feel!" Haru winked. "If you can speak publicly as the future mayor, you can also speak in front of a woman, right?"

"Yes but…" he paused for a moment as he picked the best tomatoes and placed it in his basket. "This is… Tohru…"

"So what? She like everybody else---"

"No." he answered firmly. "No, she's not. She's different and…"

"Yuki, between the two of you, you should make the first move!" Haru encouraged him. "Believe me, she also wanted you to do it."

"To do what?"

"Propose?" Tohru questioned her again. "I should do it?"

"Oh, you know Yuki." Kagura giggled. "He's a bit shy… and that's one thing that Akito doesn't want from him as the future mayor."

"I don't know… I haven't done this before…"

"That's ok!" Kagura slapped her from the back. "First timers end well!"

"Well?" Yuki stared at his cousin.

"Why? Don't you believe me?" Haru asked. "I've heard this from Kagura. First timers end well. And they can live happily ever after!"

"You sounded like those people on those books." The nezumi grinned. "Are you reading those books?"

"ME?! NO!" _Sheesh, this guy is hard to convince. _"Just propose to her, will you?" Haru mumbled. 

_Sheesh, she's hard to convince. _"Just try to be there for him, ok?"

"But what if it happens?" Tohru asked suddenly.

"Then tell him what you feel." Kagura stopped and snuggled closer to Tohru. "Hey, what do you feel about my cousin anyway?"

Tohru thought for a while and smiled. "Okaa-san once said that if one is isn't sure, one should not jump to conclusions."

"Which means…?"

"I don't know yet." Tohru ended the conversation. She stood up and went towards the door. "I have to meet my friends. Do you want to see them?"

"No…" Kagura shook her head. "I'll see you later then." 

Tohru then left the room.

"Yes, yes I understand." Hatori hung up the phone as Haru came in. "SO, any luck?"

"This guy is hard to convince." Haru sat on the guest chair lazily. "Are you sure this is what you did next to Kana?"

"Yes… maybe no…" Hatori thought. "I'm sure I proposed to her because of the ball…" The phone suddenly rang and Hatori got it. "Yes, Sohma residence."

"Are you sure you proposed to her after?" a voice rang on the other end.

"I'm sorry, I'm not so sure." The doctor replied calmly. "What happened Kagura?"

"She's HARD to convince." Kagura called out. "I mean, is Kana like this?"

"I think so. It also took me a lot time to make her love me…"

Haru stared at the doctor. "You are persuasive sometimes…"

"Thank you, and that is because I'm a doctor." Hatori grinned.

"What should we do now, Hatori-san?" Kagura asked him.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this but… we have to ask somebody else to convince him." Hatori wondered. "Sombody who knows better than us."

"That gave me an idea… but don't tell me it's them?!" Kagura yelled on the phone.

"Oh, you're back!" Uo hugged her friend tightly. "Finally, you came back and stepped inside!"

"Yeah, I sure did." Tohru smiled. "So, how did it go?"

"I think Hanajima is doing well will that _seer _thing so she put up a shop near the marketplace. DO you want to see?" Uo asked.

"Of course I want to."

"Yes… Yes I will inform him." Momiji seriously placed the handset back. _That's odd. I've heard that voice before. Maybe it's… no, it can't be. I must really inform Hatori because of this. _He then stopped and sniffed.  "Smells good…"

Kagura got out from the kitchen with 5 boxes. "I made cookies for everybody!"

"…but that's 5 boxes!"

"I can only carry 5, dummy!" Kagura snorted. "Anyway, who called?"

"Some guy whose name is Meiko." Momiji explained. "Long distance from Japan. He's looking for the Hatori. I told him that I will inform Hatori about his call."

"Oh… but why can't you just give him the number of the mansion?"

"I… can't. Don't worry, he understood me anyway…" Momiji smiled suspiciously.

After a few moments, Kagura left him alone. He then dialed the number of the mansion. "Hatori?"

"Momiji." Hatori's coarse voice came. "What is it?"

"Have you gotten a call from a person name Meiko?"

Hatori thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Hatori, I think this Meiko is someone we know." Momiji whispered. "His voice sounded familiar, really."

"Tell me what you mean." 

Momiji paused. "Has Akito informed you when he'll get back?"

"Ooh, this is a cool store!" Tohru cheered happily as she stared at the Hana's stall. 

"You think so? I still think it's all do purply-ly." Uo sighed. "Oh what the heck! Let's go in!"

"No, there might be customers!" she withdrew her friend.

"Customers, bustomers!" Uo snarled. "We're VIP's! We're free to go in and out!!

Uotani shoved her in and found one customer in front of Hanajima.

"Tohru…" Hana chanted. "I sensed your arrival. Welcome to my sanctuary!"

"Uh…yeah, right." Uo snarled.

The customer looked around and stared mysteriously at Tohru. He shrugged back his short silvery hair and his dark but pale eyes rested on hers. His lips for a grin, and opened for a short greeting. "Hello…" he said.

Tohru felt the shivers but, as usual, she smiled with ease. "Ohayo, I'm Honda Tohru."

"Honda… Tohru-san?" his face became dim and smiled again. "Please to meet you."

He paused for a moment and grinned, "I'm Meiko."

_At LAST, I updated! So much for the work in school. I still have to do things over the Christmas vacation. Sheesh, is this really life? Anyway, thank you all for waiting for this next chapter! I myself wanted to update this story..._


	20. 20

"Meiko?" Hatori repeated. "You're thinking that this Meiko is Akito?"

"That was my guess." Momiji said. "…wait a minute, that wasn't a guess."

"So you think that it's true?"

"Yup, I think he's here." The little one nodded.

The doctor leaned back on his chair and sighed. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Let us just make sure that this Meiko won't meet any Sohma. And also, this case, let us not mention anything to Akito about Tohru. She would be much safer this way." Momiji suggested.

"Are you telling me to do this…suggestion of yours?" Hatori asked firmly. Then he grinned for himself. "I think that's a good idea."

"See you around, Meiko-san!" Uo waved at the young man exiting the room. "Man! He's such a cool guy! I haven't seen one like those in ages!"

"Uo-san, who was the first guy you saw like him?" The onigiri asked curiously.

"Your mom." 

"But… she's a woman!"

"Yeah, but she acts tough like a guy! I'm just saying that your mom's cool like that guy… but strange, I haven't met him before." Uo wondered. 

"Maybe he's tourist." Tohru guessed.

"Yeah, but whoever he is, he's after the Sohmas." Hana whispered behind them.

"Why do you say that?" Uo looked over her shoulder.

"He kept on asking about the Sohmas and their fate, especially that soon-to-be mayor." Hana replied

_Yuki-kun! _Tohru thought for herself. _Is this guy related to Yuki? Or is this guy _*gulp* _planning to do something for Yuki?_

"Yuki? Well, I've seen girls talking about him and stuff but… not a guy, right?" Uo shrugged. 

"There must be something wrong with the Sohmas. That guy actually asked if Yuki's fate is blurry… in a way that I can't look at." Hana whispered.

"You're a seer, my good friend. Of course you see things clearly."

"But I think there's something wrong… really. My vision is blurry and it is quite odd for me to see things unclearly like this. I feel that a catastrophic happening shall arise this year." Hana predicted.

"…ok, so that means something is wrong." Uo stared at the seer. "What do you think, Tohru-san?"

"I…" _Okaa-san, these things are too complicated for me. _"I think that I should ask him myself."

"Ask him yourself?" Hana stared at her.

"Ah, yes. That's the gossip at the marketplace. Yuki, the dashing soon-to-be mayor and the person behind the black mask, danced with only one woman on the masquerade ball." Uo winked at the onigiri. "Am I right, Tohru?"

"So it is true…" Hana whispered. "The stars were aligned when you were born and you are destined to take the path towards the wilderness causing the greatest mob that will lead to a more unsuccessful turn to the truth of what choice you are going to make."

**…**

Hana laughed. "In a short statement, **why you?**"

"Let us put this this way. Tohru, you are one lucky girl!" Uo shouted. "Make sure you'll tour us on that popular Sohma mansion, will you?"

"But, I'm just a friend---"

"Just a what?! Tohru, have you ever seen or been in a Sohma masquerade ball before?" 

Tohru thought for a while. "No, I guess…"

"Yuki has never danced with anyone before! You're the **first**." Uo replied. " and the _last_."

"Why the last?"

"Because you're his fiancée." Hana whispered.

"W-What???"

"I didn't make that up. That's part of the gossip." Uo assured her. "Make sure it's true, Tohru, or else I can't brag about having a friend in a wealthy family."

"B-But…"

"I can see it Tohru. Your life depends on them." Hana stared at her mysteriously. "Just do it."

"She's right, you know." Uo nodded.

Tohru stared at her friends confusedly. _Okaa-san, this is not going well. I need to talk to Yuki about this. Whenever they talk about "us", I feel so…weird._

_There must be something to be fixed._

"Have you seen Kyou?" Kagura asked

"Nope." Haru shook his head. "Ever since the ball."

"Where could he be?" the boar sighed.

Haru wondered. "Have you tried finding at the mountains?"

"Haru, there's quite a problem about that because THIS IS A CITY, REMEMBER?!" Kagura yelled at him. "Have you tried looking for your brain?!"

"Where else could Kyou go?" the cow stared at her. 

Hatori got out of his office and stared at his two cousins standing by the stairs. "What's all the commotion?"

"Have you seen Kyou?" Kagura asked again.

"I asked him to do an errand for me." Hatori answered her. "He'll be back for awhile."

"B-But, the cookies are getting cold!!!" the girl panicked. "What am I going to do?"

"Bake another batch." Haru suggested.

"But I have to run all the way to the market for the ingredients!"

"Then do it." Hatori nodded. "Pick up some office papers at Momiji's house also. I need them today." He shrugged. "I need to fix those land complaints."

"But I thought Yuki is in charge of everything. He's the mayor now, right?" Haru asked. "By the way, where's Yuki?" 

"He's with Shigure."

"Now, that's odd." The cow wondered. "Whenever's Yuki is with somebody like Shigure, you'll go crazy and you'll order a police search. Now, you felt so calm and collected. Why is that?"

"I think Shigure is the best person to be with right now." The doctor grinned. "I also asked Ayame to be with him."

"What?" Kagura was surprised. 

"Very odd…" Haru whispered, "…and weird."

Yuki glanced at the very shiny silver ring beyond the glass window for display. "Are you sure this ring is what girls wanted?" he asked.

"OF COURSE, my naïve little brother!" Ayame said happily. "Girls wanted to feel that they're special, so with this, my sweet little Tohru can feel that she's special."

"This sounds wrong." The nezumi replied. "What if Tohru is not like the other girls? What if she doesn't want to be treated this way?"

"NONESENSE!!!" Shigure declared dramatically. "Never shall a woman be different that anybody else. It is already in our blood since the romance in the medival ages," he stared at the pretty girl at the counter, "am I right?"

The girl nodded quickly. "Yes, s-sir Shigure…"

"Please," he held her hand, "call me Gure. I don't want people to call me formally---"

"And I'm Aya." Ayame quickly held her other hand. "My friend Gure is already taken. Why don't we go out and paint the town red, mon ami?"

The girl blushed in different shades of red. "U-um… I…"

"You… cheater!!!" Shigure yelled. "What happened to… to that Melissa back at your store?!"

"Well, she went to Paris with her ex-boyfriend." Ayame grumbled. "She never mention to me about him. AND what about YOU?! What happened to Clarisse?"

"She had been using me, not to mention she almost bought a hotel with MY money!" Shigure snarled. "Hey, do you remember Sarah?"

"Oh yes we even went to Hawaii, but she got furious once I told her that I have Melissa back at my shop."

"Martha was also nice." Shigure recalled. "But she never appreciated my work." 

"It's a good thing you still have your lovely editor with you." Aya smiled. "How's she doing?"

"Still full of things to do. I hardly asked her out." The inu sighed. "Mit-chan sure is lovely when she's angry."

"Gure, you look at people in a different perspective." The snake nodded.

All that time, Yuki was still staring at the ring. He remember how nervous was Tohru back at the ball, and when she was calm and happy when they were at the balcony. He wondered how he can make her happy again.

_Tohru, I don't know if this means much to you. But it means to me._

_I want to know your answer… before I get trapped behind those walls again… before my father comes back…_

It was 3:00 in the afternoon when Kagura rang the doorbell at Momiji's house. She pouted and waited for a few minutes before Momiji got the door.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR 20 MINUTES? IS THIS HOW YOU TREAT SOMEONE OLDER LIKE **ME????**"

Momiji yawned. "I just got up from a catnap. What do you want?"

"WHAT DO I WANT??? **WHAT DO I WANT??? **I WANT RESPECT… no… I **DEMAND** RESPECT!!!  PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TREATING ME LIKE A FURNITURE! EVEN HATORI MADE A MISTAKE IN REFFERING TO ME AS A MAID?! DO I LOOK LIKE A MAID???!!!!" Kagura yelled endlessly.

Momiji yawned again. "Seriously, no. What do you want?" he said. "I'm not in the mood to entertain visitors."

"You don't need to entertain, MOMIJI. It's just so stupid why a guy like him need to asks somebody to do his job! Hatori is so lazy! Why can't he just go all the way here to your house and asked you for some office papers of some land complaint while I go to the grocery store and buy ingredients for my sweetheart Kyou?" Kagura blurted out.

"Oh… go to my library. The papers are there." Momiji turned around and sat at the couch.

"What?" Kagura asked. "Where?"

"Up the stairs, second hall to the left, fifth door, at the table." Momiji yawned. "Got it?"

"Yup." Kagura dashed towards the stairs while Momiji rested at the couch. After a few moments, the doorbell rang again.

"Why can't I have a maid like Hatori?!" Momiji grumbled as he stood up and went towards the door. He opened it and, half-asleep, he looked at the man at the doorstep. "Can I help you?"

"Momiji Sohma?"

"Yup." Momiji nodded. 

"I'm Meiko. It's about the land complaint. Can I come in?"

Absentmindingly, he motioned his hand for the guest to come in. With a grin, the man entered.

"What do you want? I asked Hatori to deal with those papers." Momiji complained.

"Actually, I'm not here for the compaint." The man kneeled in front of Momiji.

With all the strenght he got, Momiji went back to focus and stared at the man in front of him. "W-w…what are you doing here?" he stuttered and was shaking. "Why are you back so soon?"

The man grinned. "I'm here for the land… that my dear son inherited while I was gone."

_Can you guess who this man is (Yeah it's Meiko)? See you in the next chappie!_

_Oh yeah, I'm planning to post a new fic (Yehey *fireworks, applause and BOW*) but I still don't know what anime it is (ok, get the tomatoes ready). I'm still planning to base it in a fairy tale (maybe princess and a pea). See you soon guys. HAPPY NEW YEAR!_


	21. 21

_Another chapter! This time I'll make it right!_

Tohru held the handset close to her ear, listening carefully. "Really? He is with Aya-san?"

"Yes, Tohru-chan." Haru affirmed. "I don't know where they are, but they should be around the village. Why don't you check it out and do us a favor for a while, ok?"

Tohru tried to say something but Kagura was talking to somebody else that she hung up.

After that very significant phonecall, or that was a waste of time, she left the house and did what she had to do. _I had to find him. _

Yuki nodded. "I see… she's not there with you." He held his private phone closer to his ear.

"Yes, she left an hour ago." Momiji nodded. "Maybe she's around the village. Do me a favor and try to find her. I think she needs to be in a safe place for a while."

"Why is that?"

"No time to explain. I still need to call Hatori." After that, Momiji hung up.

Yuki placed his phone back at his left pocket and held a small box at his right. He stared at it, and somehow, he felt the urge of doing this. _This is it._

"I'll be out to the village for a while." Yuki said to the two older Sohmas, still indulging their senses to the pretty girl at the counter. Of course, not waiting for their reply, he went outside and started to walk towards the village, not far from the store.

"What do you mean, you just met Akito?!" Hatori yelled at the phone.

"I did! I just did! He just walked in my house ten minutes ago!" Momiji also yelled. "I thought he was going to kill me!!!" 

"What did he say? What did he do?" Hatori asked hastily.

"Well…" Momiji sighed and thought hard. "He talked about things like property and land then…he just said that he's going to test us." 

"…that's it?" The doctor asked. 

"Don't doubt that phrase. It gave me the creeps." The young one shivered. "His voice was so dark and fearing, I thought I was going to melt right on that spot!"

"Then he left after that?"

"Yeah, he did."

"We need to tell Yuki about this." Hatori said. "We also need to inform the rest of the Sohmas. They should stay alert."

"What about Tohru?" Momiji asked.

"Tohru?"

"I think this concerns her. What if Akito knows her and finds her? What if he uses her for.. other things---"

"Like Kana…" _I totally forgot! My life and Yuki's life are bound to be similar! Yuki as me and Tohru as Kana. If that's true, then maybe…_

"Hatori? Are you still there?" the young one asked and called out.

"I'll ask my people to find Tohru. We must prevent this from happening." Hatori said strictly.

Yuki made his way through the crowd until he reached the inn where he first met Tohru. He went inside and recognized the first person he saw inside. "You… you're Uo, right?"

"And you're the guy who kept on barging in in my house asking me where Tohru is." Uo grinned for a while, until he got a closer look of Yuki, her eyes widened and panicked, "Y-You're… you're Yuki Sohma! Y-Y-You're the… the mayor!!!"

He smiled and giggled. "Do I really look so natural in these clothes?"

"No… o-of course not. Please, come in!" she showed him inside. "Do you need anything?"

"I just want to know where Tohru is." He said quickly.

"Right, as if I KNOW." Uo pouted. "She just went out a while ago."

"She did… a while ago?" _ Then she can't be that far._

"Hey, is it true?" Uo asked. "That's she's your fiancée?"

"Huh?" he asked confusedly. "W-what do you mean?"

"Kami-sama! You're so slow!" she shouted. "It's already been a month. Haven't you been practicing long enough?"

_That's what everybody said. _" What are you trying to tell me?"

"To tell you the truth, I just can't believe that of all girls in this village, or maybe in this country, you chose her to be with you." Uo explained.

"But let me tell you this. Tohru is my best friend, and for all my life, I've seen her in burden. Now is her chance to be a different person. **IF** something bad happens to her because of you, or even tried to disappoint her because you broke her heart, I would curse you to go to hell." She clenched her fist. "Got it?"

Yuki sweatdropped. "Yes, yes, of course." He nodded. " I promise."

"Good. I don't want to see her cry because of the wrong man." She nodded happily.

This struck Yuki for a moment and made him think for a while. 

"Uo, what if… I'm not the right man? What if this is not meant to happen?" he asked.

Uo placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know, that was the same question that I encountered when Tohru's mother was still alive. And do you know what she said?" Yuki shook his head. 

"She said, 'It doesn't take a thousand years to prepare the right words to say, but it only takes the right words to say to be remembered for thousands of years.'" Uo smiled. "In a way, the longer you keep her waiting, the faster you're going to lose her."

"But what if I said the wrong words?"

"You'll never know which is right and which is wrong, not until you're ready to tell her the truth."

Yuki stared at her with his hand cupping the box at his pocket. "What truth?"

"That you love her." She winked at him. "Good luck, partner. Make her happy."

After that, Yuki sat at a vacant chair and thought very deeply for a long time.

"I hope I didn't discourage you in any way." Uo said worriedly.

In an instant, Yuki smiled and said, "No, you just gave me the right advice. Thanks"

He quickly left the room but stopped at the doorway. 

Outside, men in dark cloaks surrounded the front door. They all looked at Yuki darkly. Uo stepped outside to see.

"Identify yourselves." Yuki ordered sternly.

"We were sent by your stepfather. We were advised to keep you here and away from him." One of them answered. 

"What's going on here?" Uo asked Yuki.

"Listen, I have no intention to meet up with… him. In anyway, I'll make sure that I'm out of his way." Yuki explained. "Now, please excuse me, I need to see an important person--"

"That's the reason why we can't let you out of our sight." They replied.

Yuki stood still. "What are trying to tell me?! … is he going to meet her?!"

"He needs to see this…Honda Tohru personally, and nobody, which includes the Sohmas, has the license to be a hindrance in his plans." They replied accordingly. "Everything should be done as scheduled."

"If he lays even a finger on her," Yuki shouted angrily, "I swear I'll kill him!"

"Please, young master, don't let your temper carry you away. Master Akito won't even try, or might as well, hurt her in a way."

"Don't you trust your own father?"

"I just trust him." He grumbled. "How can you trust him? Are you even there in his private time?"

The men looked at each other and replied, "He's a man of his word, young master. Don't worry, it won't take that long. We will be informed once he did what he wants to do: to see and learn something about Honda Tohru personally."

"If you try to go past us, we will assure you that Master will know this and he might as well change his plans completely. Young master, master Akito knows what your weaknesses are. We advice you to please wait for a while, for the sake of this Honda Tohru."

"Yuki," Uo whispered, "I don't trust these guys."

"Me too, but we have no choice." Yuki whispered back. "Akito is always like this. When he wants something, he does it himself." 

_Tohru__, wherever you are, I hope you won't meet him. Please be safe._

Tohru was slowly walking at the road, her mind was drifting in space, not knowing where to go. She had not realized that she was already crossing the road. 

"Hey watch where you're going!" a vendor yelled as his horse cart was passing by. But she didn't seem to hear. 

This time, a much faster carriage came and she was about to be run over—

"Look out!!!" someone yelled.

--until a man pulled her to the other side. Tohru got back to her senses and stared at the fast carriage that passed by.

"Wow… that was close." She sighed. 

She looked at the man who saved her. He was partially bruised at his right arm but he didn't mind. He eyes was focused evenly to her. After seeing his face, her face lightened and smiled at him.

"Meiko-san!" she called.

With that, the man smiled at her mysteriously.

_Yes, yes, I left it so hanging. Please forgive me and… oh well, please review._

  
  



	22. 22

_Hi there. I did this as quickly as I can. If there are errors, I'm really sorry. I'll try to repost this again in case there are really many errors._

_Thank you for reading and… well, I'm not a hentai person (at least I didn't make this fic hentai… oh yeah, I was planning to ^_^). _

"Hello there, Tohru-san." Meiko smiled mysteriously.

"Thank you for saving me." Tohru bowed low and thankfully replied. 

"But… I didn't save you enough. " he pointed at the bruise on her left arm. She stared at it for a while.

"It's not bleeding. I'm fine." She smiled at him sweetly, not knowing his true intention.

"But I insist, Tohru-san. It will only take a while." He assured her calmly. Sooner or later, she nodded and went with him.

For almost an hour, Yuki and Uo sat outside of the inn, waiting for the cloaked men to set them free. And at last, one of them approached Yuki and bowed.

"Thank you for your patience, young master."

"Where is she now?" Yuki asked sternly. 

The subordinate shook his head. "We don't know the plans Master Akito has prepared, and I cannot assure you on what it is, but I can say that he can help the Sohmas to be a better clan---"

"Yeah, shut up." Uo snarled. "I don't want to hear this senseless talk again. If this happens again in front of my inn, you won't have a happy life after that."

"Please, it won't happen again. Again, thank you for your time and patience." He bowed low. "Good day." And the cloaked men left them.

"Should we call somebody?" Uo asked.

"No, I guess we have to stay put for now." Yuki replied. "I'm really sorry about this"

"Don't be. I'm sure Tohru will be ok."

After he heard her name, he quickly said, "I have to go." Then Yuki ran off.

"Tohru's missing?" Shigure repeated.

"Yeah, but it's only a presumption. Hatori told me that. Now get out of my house!" Momiji ordered. He tried to shove them away but, of course, the two Sohmas are much bigger than him.

"So that's why my dear brother left to find her!" Ayame wondered.

"Yes, at least he's very useful and helpful at the same time, like you two."

"Hey, what's the rush?" Gure kneeled in front of the younger Sohma. "We're just chillin' out, you know."

"I think you're chillin' at the wrong house." Momiji yelled. "You're ruin my reputation! What if the people finds out that I'm hangin' out with people like you?!"

"Hey, that's only a presumption, right?" Ayame winked.

"GRR!!! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Yuki kept on running until a carriage pulled over right beside him. Kisa's head then poked outside of the window. "Yuki-kun, come in."

Yuki quickly went inside, and found Hatori sitting beside Kisa. The vehicle started running and at the same time, the sky became dark.

"I'm always on the right timing." Hatori grinned at himself.

"Have you found her?" Yuki asked.

"No, I ordered some people to find her, and I'm also as worried as you are."

"Yuki-kun, is it true that Akito-san is… back here?" Kisa asked.

The nezumi sighed. "Yes, I already met his people."

Kisa held Hatori's hand tightly as the conversation went on. "What did they say?"

"Akito's planning something. He also wanted to talk Tohru personally." Yuki explained. "I don't get it. What does he want from her?"

"Nothing." The doctor answered flatly. "Yuki, this happened years ago to Kana, and she said nothing about their conversation."

"So they talked?"

"Yes, they did, but she never mentioned it in detail." Hatori recalled. "She even described Akito as a nice person."

"If he WAS a nice person, they why did he kill her?" Kisa asked. 

Yuki felt the sudden shivers. _Kana was killed by Akito, but instead of revealing that to the public as his fault, he used Hatori's name. What if… this happens to—_

"Yuki." Hatori quickly caught his attention. "I know what you're thinking. Do not assume that this will happen to Tohru. Everyone is supporting you and Tohru right now. Don't think like that."

"Of course." Yuki replied.

"And besides, I would never want the next mayor be like that." He grinned.

The carriage reached the mansion and Yuki got inside feeling unsuccessful as he felt his small gift for Tohru inside his pocket.

"Yuki-kun!" a voice rang in head… or across the room.

He looked up and a cheerful smiled awaited him. "Yuki-kun, I've been waiting." To his surprise, Tohru was there at the main lobby, calling his name!

Before he could say anything, his body began to move towards her in great speed and before he could hug her, her hands quickly held him back.

"Yuki, the curse!" she reminded him. 

He didn't listen to her for a while. His body began to feel lifeless against her.

**POOF!**

The next thing he knew he was on her hand and her eyes were staring at her. She giggled lightly. "Yuki, we've just been separate for a few days and… you just forgot that you have a curse!"

_Yeah, _he smiled, _but that was the best half second in my entire life._

"Hello there, Tohru-san." Hatori greeted her as he got in. Kisa was right behind him. 

"Ne-chan!" she cheered.

"So, something happened here a few seconds earlier, right?" Hatori eyed on Yuki, who was right at his foot. Yuki eyed him back, which made him laugh. "Why don't you help him up to his room, Tohru, and I'll be waiting for both of you at the dining area." 

"Sure." Tohru held Yuki on one hand and gathered his clothes with the other. Kisa then followed Hatori to his office.

"Hatori-san, do you think it is really necessary," she whispered as she closed the door behind her, "that we could leave them alone?"

"Kisa, I was left alone for me to talk to Kana. Now, I just did my part in his life." He lit a cigarette. "It's up to him to hear her out."

"No, I mean." Kisa sighed. "Do you think it's necessary to leave them alone IN HIS ROOM, at a time when Yuki-kun could, at any minute now, CHANGE BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL FORM, with TOHRU with him?"

Hatori thought for a moment, and eyed Kisa. "I think that you've been staying at Ayame's house for too long, don't you think so?"

"Hatori-san…"

"No, I mean it. I think that you should stay here in this mansion before you get that perverted disease---"

"HATORI-SAN!!!"

"I'm really sorry, Tohru-san…" Yuki whispered as he comfortable sat at her lap.

"It wasn't really a problem, Yuki-kun." She said happily as she sat at the bedside. "I just carried you and your clothes to your room, that's all."

"No… it's….nothing." he said.

"It has been months since I saw you in this form…" she giggled. "And I even remembered when you transformed back---"

At the next second, a puff of cloud came and Yuki transformed back. Tohru moved back, but she was trapped, lying at his bed, while Yuki was on top of her, naked of course. Both of them stared at each other for quite a while, and Tohru's cheeks began to burn up.

Yuki felt that this moment was destiny and he shouldn't waste it. He began to move closer to her, their noses touched, and their heartbeats quickened. 

_He's going to do it! _Tohru panicked at her current position. She didn't move an inch, but she quickly closed her eyes before anything happens.

Yuki stared at her before he even tried to do anything. Realizing that she's not ready for this, he just kissed her on her cheek and smiled. "Don't look _down_, ok?"

She nodded politely, keeping her eyes closed. He stared at her for a while, then he stood up and started to dress up. 

Tohru slowly opened her eyes and saw Yuki half naked before her, and as he slowly grabbed his shirt on the floor, she examined his back for a while. _Tohru__, keep your eyes closed please! Stop staring at him!_

After he dressed up, she sat up, still blushing. Yuki noticed it and knelt in front of her. "Are you ok?"

"H-Hai." She was stuttering, and Yuki laughed inside. 

"Le't go downstairs, ne?" he smiled and held her hand.

As they walked down the stairs, hand in hand, she felt the craziest feeling, after what happened to them upstairs. _Okaa__-san, this feeling… have you felt this when you met papa? It's so weird. I feel so flushed all over. And his hand holding mine… it feels so different. Was he trying to say that we're more that friends already?_

"Yuki-kun." Kisa called. "Hatori just got a phone call and left. He'll be back by morning."

"Then we'll eat without him."

"Um… I need to go back to Momiji's house." Tohru suddenly said. _Really, I want to go back. I just want to sleep at MY bed. Everything just happened so fast and… I think I couldn't bear to sit with Yuki while eating. My stomach might stop digesting because of him. _

Yuki looked at her. "Are you sure?" Tohru nodded at him. "Ok…" he said. "Then I'll accompany you to Momiji's house."

It was a long quiet ride. Tohru sat back with Yuki in front of him. They just stared at different windows, not talking to each other, and not even a glance was made. She clasped her hands together and rested it on her lap, while Yuki had each of his hands resting on his knees. 

_Cmon__, Yuki, start the conversation. Yuki urged himself to talk. He tried to look at her, but she avoided looking at him. __Is she mad at me? Maybe, but am I rushing things too much?_

The carriage then stopped and Yuki saw Momiji's house outside the window. He quickly opened the door and got out. He helped Tohru out and tried to look at her.

At last, she looked at him.

"Tohru… I…" he started. 

"Yuki… I'm sorry." She began. "Things didn't work out like the way you expected it to be."

Yuki smiled and shook his head. "No, I was wrong. I should rush you… maybe, it would really take time… for me to…"

"Goodnight, Yuki-kun." She bowed and turned towards the door. 

"Tohru, wait!" he rushed towards her. She turned to look at him.

He took a deep breath, gathered all dignity in him and carried it on his back. "Can we try it once more?" he whispered while gazing at her. 

Without waiting for her reply, he went closer and again, Tohru was trapped with the door behind her. This time, she didn't have any doubts on her mind. _Okaa__-san, guide me._

And their lips met. He moved closer towards her and she melted against him. He then he pulled back. She blushed a little and he stopped for a moment. _I… just did it. _

"Goodnight, Tohru." He whispered and ran back towards the carriage. He quickly went inside and it started to move on its way.

Yuki sat back at his seat, amazed and surprised at what he did. He chuckled and wondered, _That_ was, by far, my best achievement in my entire life.__

Tohru closed the door behind her, still amazed and surprised after all that had happened. She gently touched her lips and wondered, _Okaa__-san… that was, by far, the most romantic thing that has happened to me in my entire life. _

  
  
_Is it good? I hope it was. I had fun writing it.  Please review!_

_Oh yes, I might postpone the "need advice" fic for a while. I need to finish this one. Again, thanks for reading!_


	23. 23

Kagura ran all the way from the kitchen to Hatori's office. She panted as she reached inside and Hatori slowly looked at her. "What's the rush?" he asked.

"Why is there a red X mark on the calendar," she panted, "which is today???"

"Wow, new record. Now I'm happy that someone noticed that mark. It must have been a week since I marked that." He folded the newspaper and got up with his briefcase. "Today is Tohru's birthday. I asked Momiji about that information on her birth certificate."

"TOHRU'S BIRTHDAY?!" she yelled. "She never told me about that!"

"And I haven't told Yuki about it either." He grinned.

Kagura banged her fists on the table. "WHAT?! But I always thought that Yuki was the first to know!"

"Well, not anymore. News spreads quickly, so I think it'll reach Yuki in no time. In the meantime," he gathered his coat and his hat. "I have an appointment back at the village. Take care of my phone calls, Kagura."

"You got it!" she saluted as he walked away from his office.

When the coast is clear, Kagura used Hatori's phone to call Momiji. "Have you heard the news?"

"Yeah," his voice rang on the other end. "It's Tohru's birthday today and Yuki has no idea about it."

"WHY AM I ALWAYS THE LAST ONE TO KNOW!!!"

"Listen, can you come over here? I need someone to cook for Tohru's breakfast."

"But it's nine in the morning!" Kagura said. "Tohru should be up by now!"

"Yes she was. She just left to do some shopping." Momiji explained. "But she hasn't taken her breakfast yet."

"Ok, I'll be right over." Kagura said. "Wait a minute, do you think Yuki will do it?"

"Do what?"

"The 'P' thing?"

"You mean propose?"

"HEY, I'M USING CODES HERE IF THIS LINE IS NOT SECURE!" Kagura yelled.

"I don't know. It's up to Yuki to think about that… after what he had done to her…" Momiji whispered. "Do you know about that?"

"What?"

"The 'K' thing?"

"AHH! He killed her?!" Kagura panicked.

"No, silly!" Momiji yelled. "I think this code this doesn't work at all. He **kissed **her." 

"HE DID?!" Kagura gasped. "THAT lucky dog…"

"Hey, he just did. If he's planning to propose tonight as his birthday present, he's got a lot of guts."

"…I hope he does the right thing…" Kagura sighed.

"Tohru's birthday is today???" Yuki almost squashed the tomato on his fists. 

Haru motioned his hands to stop Yuki from ruining his morning.  "Hey, I was told not to tell you. But my conscience speaks and I need to tell you."

Tohru's birthday… 

"Hatori's planning to make arrangements at this fine restaurant for all of us and Tohru to celebrate." Haru explained calmly.

The best time to tell her… 

"I believe that everyone's coming, including Ritsu. But Hatori had problems in contacting him. He must be somewhere far… like China…" The cow continued. "Anyway, what are you planning to give her?"

"I believe that everyone's coming, including Ritsu. But Hatori had problems in contacting him. He must be somewhere far… like China…" The cow continued. "Anyway, what are you planning to give her?"

Yuki looked up to his cousin. "A present?"

"Yeah, I'm planning to give her a black and white sweater. I just saw it on sale at the village." He nodded. "So, what are you planning to give?"

Yuki remained silent as his hand reached his pocket. Haru noticed that and whispered, "Are you planning to do it?"

"Do what?" Yuki coldly replied.

"To propose on her birthday." He winked.

Yuki looked away. "I think it's inappropriate to do that on her special day."

"But this is a special gift! It is **completely appropriate** to do this on her special day!"

"Maybe… but what if she doesn't want to." Yuki mumbled. "What if she might freak out… after I kissed her---"

"You kissed Tohru?!" Haru yelled.

"Opportunities." Yuki grinned.

Haru stared at him. "Do you think that a proposal is an opportunity?"

Yuki thought for a while and his head slowly nodded. "Good." Haru smiled. "I guess you're going to do it then." 

"…yeah." Yuki grinned. "I think I am… I think I will…"

"GOOD MORNING~!!!" Ayame sang as Tohru came in his shop.

"Ohayo…" she smiled and greeted him as well.

"What can I do for my favorite princess?" the snake bowed down lowly in courtesy. "Your beauty is so radiant for my day to begin."

"Eh… Ayame-san, I only want to say hi." She smiled.

"Oh, you're not going to buy anything?" he asked. "Well, I might as well treat you out for today. Where do you want to eat?"

"No, thank you. I just finished doing the grocery." Tohru said. "I need to go back now before the meat warms up."

"I see. Well, see you again, princess." Ayame dramatically spoke. 

Tohru blushed, "well actually, I'm here to ask you for something…"

"Really?" Ayame eyed her. "A princess in need for counsel? Just like the fairy tale moments." He motioned her to come to him. "Come child, and let the flood gates open."

"Um…" she shyly started. "What should I do when I get my first kiss?"

The snake almost stumbled at his place. "KISS? Does this mean that my sweet little innocent Tohru-kun has already a date?"

Tohru blushed lightly. "N-No, Ayame-san! It's just that---"

"Hush, child. Let the counselor enlighten you with his experiences." Ayame whispered. Tohru snuggled closer for her to listen.

"My dear, when you just received your first kiss from a person whom you think will be your future husband…" he slowly said, "this could only mean one thing: proposal."

Now it was Tohru's turn to wince at her place. "P-Proposal?"

"Most guys prefer young women… like you…" Ayame grinned. "But, I think it wasn't so bad. A proposal is something that shouldn't be ignored because it is an opportunity for both men and women!"

"But Ayame-san… how come you're still single?"

"Alas, my sweet innocent Tohru-kun, I prefer to live a solitary life. This is what I wanted to be… and this is what fate gave me…" he sighed. "Don't look up to me. There's always more to life and you shouldn't waste it like me."

"By the way," he eyed at her. "who is this guy anyway?"

"Um…" _I just can't tell him about Yuki. He might freak out!_

"Well?" Ayame grinned.

"I can't tell you." She said finally.

"Oh sure, but if he hurts you in any way, I swear to you that I will beat him up!" he declared dramatically. Tohru giggled at the Sohma's pose. 

_I'm sure you won't do that to him, Ayame-san…_

"Go now, my dear. You said that you needed to hurry home, right?" Ayame lead her to the door. "Go now, you're wasting the food!"

"Hai!!!" she nodded. "Thank you, Ayame-san!"

"Come back again, princess!" he yelled as she left his shop. When he went back to his office, his phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Aya-san!" Kagura yelled.

"Hello, dear cousin--"

"Did you know what happen yesterday? What Yuki did to Tohru?" Kagura said with haste. "The 'K' Thing?"

Ayame gasped loudly. "WHAT?! He… killed her?! Then who is the Tohru that I met earlier? Maybe…" he gasped again, "She's a GHOST!!!"

Kagura slapped herself. _Momiji was right about that code thing…_

Tohru was happily walking back at Momiji's house when a car stopped at her side. The car window at the back seat rolled down and a person smiled at her.

"Meiko-san!" she greeted and stared at his car. "WOW! You must be rich!"

"Well, family savings," he said with a smile. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, I think I can walk from here, thank you." She replied kindly.

"But this is the least I can do for a woman like you." 

"Meiko-san, you just save my life---"

"And to return the debt," his eyes suddenly flashed as he grinned, "You should follow my wishes."

"Eh?" _Meiko-san seems very… weird today. His eyes are darkening… I wonder…_

"Tohru-san, I'm waiting." He said firmly. 

Yuki was walking towards Momiji's house carrying a bouquet of white roses. He's wearing a warm smile on his face and somehow, he felt very confident in facing Tohru. 

But before he reached the road leading to Momiji's house, his eyes caught a car nearby with a woman beside it. To his surprise, both were very familiar to him.

"That's Tohru…" he whispered to himself, "and the car is…"

His eyes widened at surprise. _Akito's car… and he's taking Tohru!_

Tohru got inside unaware of what is going to happen. Yuki dropped the roses and ran towards the moving vehicle. "Tohru! Wait!"

The car was moving fast and, because of Yuki's sickness, he wasn't able to reach it in time. The vehicle disappeared at the end of the road and Yuki dropped down to his knees and panted heavily.

_Tohru… it can't be… Akito… You shouldn't… harm…_

Hatori's carriage stopped at Yuki's side and the doctor got out hastily. "Yuki! Are you ok?" he knelt beside his cousin.

"Hatori… Akito…" Yuki was grasping his chest and trying to catch his breath. "Tohru… in the car… Akito's car…"

Hatori's memories suddenly came rushing unto his mind. _Just like what happened to…_

_"Where are you taking me?!" Kana yelled. Two men were dragging her in a car. _

_"Just shut up and get in!"_

_"You can't do this! Let me go!" she yelled. They pushed her inside the car and they started the engine._

_Kana looked up and saw another person inside. His dark eyes were staring at her. "Hello Kana…"_

_"Akito…" she whispered._

_"Happy Birthday." He grinned at her._

_Hatori was on his way to Ayamei's house when he saw Akito's car zooming away. After that, Gure and Aya went out. "Tori!" Shigure called. "They got Kana!!!"_

Tohru looked outside the car window and to Meiko. "Um… where are we going?"

"Somewhere where we can celebrate your birthday."

Tohru smiled at him. "You know already?"

"Everyone knows…" he coldly replied.

"Meiko-san, I think we should go back. I need to cook something for---"

"Let them wait." Meiko said firmly. "I still need to talk to you…"

"About what?" she asked.

He stared at her and slowly loosened the buttons of his shirt. "About us." He whispered.

Tohru gasped as she confusedly stared at him. _What does he mean about us?_

"Keep driving." He ordered his driver as he grabbed Tohru by the hand and pulled her to him. He then cupped her face and kissed her hungrily.

Tohru was paralyzed at her place and slowly, she felt dizzy. She knew that she just swallowed a drug when he kissed her. _What… Why…_

Meiko was kissing her neck. "Go to sleep and I'll just visit you in your dreams." He whispered as he loosened his grip.

She gave up completely to him as he tried to undress her. But there was one thing that came into her mind.

_Help me… Yuki-kun…_


	24. 24

"Are you sure you're ok?" Hatori hurriedly opened his bag and pulled out his stethoscope.

Yuki quickly shook his head. "No… I'm fine…" He was slightly panting but he tried to speak up. "Tohru… she---"

"I know. I called some of my nearby colleges to find out where that car gone to. In the meantime---"

"I'M FINE, Hatori!" Yuki answered firmly. 

Momiji went out of his house and spotted the two on the ground nearby. "Hey! What happened?!"

"Akito found Tohru… and now he had her on her birthday." Hatori explained. "We have to find where Akito lives!"

--------------------------

Tohru's eyes slowly opened. The light from the windowsill blinded her for a moment, as he hands felt the sheets she had above her. It must be morning, but that was just a guess. Then a voice came from the corner of the room.

"Had a pleasant dream, princess?"

She sat up and looked for the origin of the voice. "W-Where?"

"Right here." Akito showed himself to her and grinned mysteriously. "I was wondering when you will get up."

"Meiko-san… where are we?"

"Ah, my dear, I am no longer called Meiko in my home." He hissed at her. "For you to recall, I saved your life and you have to do whatever that may please me."

Tohru stared at his deep dark eyes as he approached her at the bed. He slightly touched her cheek and smiled, "Don't worry. I won't mind having a pretty princess here in my home… as long as she follows my rules…"

She gulped and slid backwards. "Rules?"

"Everything that I have here is in my possession. It can be things… or people." He stared at her. "As long as you are in this house, you are under my control. Never do anything that may displease me, understood?"

She slowly nodded. "Next," he moved closer, "Never mention people's names… especially Sohmas, here in my house. I don't want to hear anything about them." He smiled. "By the way, your silence tells me that you're scared." 

"Meiko-san… I don't understand…" she slowly replied. "Why do you need to keep me here and you don't want me talk about Yu---"

"Ah!" He raised his finger to silence her. "A punishment awaits when you violate one of my rules." He said firmly. "You don't have to be scared, Tohru-san. Actually, you're the first woman that entered my house. Have you ever wondered why?"

"Why?"

"Because you're special, which means you are also the master of this house. You could get anything you want because you are indeed my princess…" He smiled, this time, sincerely and a very heart-warming smiled. "I would never do anything to hurt you. That's why I saved you… days ago, right?"

She stared at him, filled with confusion, pity and all other emotions that she couldn't tell. _Perhaps he needed a friend. I guess he really does. _

"Hai," she replied, "Thank you very much. Meiko-san. I wouldn't forget your kindness."

He then smiled again in a dark manner. "That's better."

----------------------------

"No sign of her." Momiji hung up the phone and turned to Hatori. "An hour has passed. Maybe the car already reached its destination."

"They said there was no car at the pier, the train or even at the airport." Kagura enumerated. "But it could be half-way across the country!"

"We will not stop until we find her." Hatori said firmly and all went back to work. The doctor glanced at Yuki, who was staring at the house phone on the side table. 

"What are you doing?"

"Remember when Kana was kidnapped?" Yuki asked. "I was the one who answered the phone call an hour later and it was Akito. He talked to you and you talked to him, negotiating about the order and stuff---"

"Yuki," Hatori sat beside him. "Do you really know what the order was?"

"No." he sighed. "But my brother knows… and so does Shigure. I heard it was wiping out or something. But that's all I know."

"Yeah, but how come you just stomped into my office one day, and told me that you are against the order?"

Yuki stared at the older Sohma. "I guess… I didn't like Akito that time. Whenever he implements a rule, it was so sophisticated and… well, life-taking." He explained. "I don't want that to happen… like what happened to mother---"

"Yuki."

"Right, the past is the past."

Hatori nodded for him. "You're stronger now, Yuki. You can face this."

"Thanks." Yuki replied.

----------------------------

After that, the phone rang.

There was a stunned silence and Yuki slowly picked it up while Hatori stood beside him.

"Momiji's residence."

"Ah, my sole heir to my little kingdom, how are you?" a dark voice came to the other end.

"What have you done to her?" Yuki quickly said, knowing that he was talking to his stepfather.

"My dearest Yuki, why are you against me? She's just a pitiful orphan who---"

"SHE'S NOT PITIFUL AND SHE'S NOT AN ORPHAN!" Yuki yelled. "She already has a family who is willing to take care of her! If you're planning to---"

"Easy…" Hatori grabbed his arm to calm him down. "Anger won't be the answer to our problem."

"Ah." Akito began. "Is Hatori there too? Well now, I guess this happens all over again, like history, they say, repeats itself."

"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked. "You're planning to kill her, aren't you?!"

"Kill her?!" Akito laughed briefly. "Where did you even get that idea? Was that from your cousins who gossiped about Kana's death?"

"You killed her." The nezumi said firmly. "Are you telling me that you're denying it?"

"I'm not denying. I'm just making sure that Kana and I was alone back then before I shared to her about… my plans about the Sohma clan."

"What do you want, Akito? Just let her go." Yuki pleaded. "She's not a part of this---"

"Oh no, my dear Yuki, she plays the biggest role of all." 

"Yuki, what is he saying?" Hatori whispered beside him. 

"Perhaps you should learn a bit more about this thing in a different way." Akito said darkly as the line went dead.

------------------------------

"He hung up?"

Yuki placed the handset back to its place. "Why did he do that?"

"What did he say?" Hatori asked.

"He mentioned something about learning things in different way or something---" Then his cellphone rang.

"Now who calls this time?" Momiji asked.

Yuki slowly picked it up. "Hello, Yuki Sohma speaking."

"Yuki-kun---"

"TOHRU." Yuki jumped at his place. The rest suddenly crowded to towards him. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? Is everything alright?"

"Yuki-kun, I only got 2 minutes to talk to you."

"Two minutes but---" 

"Please listen." She asked.

Yuki refrained himself from asking her anything. Hatori got a stopwatch and run the time of 2 minutes. "Ok."

"Akito told me to tell you what really happened years ago." She began. "The Sohma clan owned the whole country and one Sohma leader implemented a rule that lead the peasants here in your country."  
_Yes, the rule of the forefathers. _Yuki wondered. "But why are you---"

"Then there was the father of Akito, who noticed that there was an overgrown population of peasants, implemented a rule that restarts everything back to order."

Yuki could hear Tohru sobbing. "Are you ok? You're crying---"

"Yuki, that rule of Akito's father was never approved." Tohru cried out. "And now, he wants to do it again. That was the _order_ that he was talking about years ago. It will be the persecution of the peasants and lowly."

_Wiping out the country clean. _Yuki concluded. _Starting all over. _

"He said that… that…" Tohru was indeed crying and she tried to stammer out the words. "… Hatori failed to give out the order and…"

"Tohru, where is this going?!"

"He wants you to implement the rule, or else you will lose me." Tohru blurted out.

Yuki almost let go of his phone. _He gave me a choice… and a hard decision to make---_

"Yuki-kun, listen to me." She said slowly. "I've spent almost my whole life in the village and I had friends like Uo-san and Hana-san. I don't want them to get hurt because of me."

"Tohru… I can't lose you like this…"

"I know… but you won't lose me like… like Kana." Tohru said.

"Yuki, ten seconds." Hatori whispered.

"Please don't implement the rule because I will not die." She said quickly. "Instead, Meiko-san---"

"Akito" Yuki corrected.

_Akito? The ruthless leader? _She stopped for a moment. "A-Akito is planning to marry----"

The line went dead unexpectedly. After that, Yuki yelled to release his worries.

"TOHRU, What happened?!" 

"Two minutes is up." Hatori said. "Sorry."

Yuki sat down and tried to calm down for a while. His mind kept on dictating the last words Tohru said to him._ Akito is planning to marry…_

_…her. _He finished the sentence. _If I won't implement the rule, I… would lose the opportunity to be with her…_

_He knew my weakness._

_And now, he knew what would I do._

_----------------------------------_

"SO, Honda Tohru-san." Akito sat beside the shaking girl. "You know the story and I think you also know that Yuki… is peasant by blood."

"Yes… Akito-san." She replied.

"Now, what do you think should be the decision? Should I take your pitiful peasant friends lives? Or maybe, should I dominate yours?" he asked as he played her hand on his lap.

Tohru bit her lip, knowing that even if it's against her will, she doesn't want Yuki to end his life like that. 

"Ok, Akito." She nodded forcibly. "I… agree to be your wife."


	25. 25

AUTHOR'S NOTES (IMPORTANT)

Okay, this is when I'll violate some rules. I, at first, never own Fruits Basket and its characters. From this point I'll be using some characters in a way that their history will be against the original Fruits Basket information. Please bear with me ^_^. 

This is just a trial. I promise that if all of this goes wrong, I have another ending in pending (Hey, that's rhyme). I accept flames, by the way, because flames are the reasons why I kept on writing my stories.

Thank you for your cooperation.

------------------------------------

Kyou sat up against the tree branch. His eyes were focused on the cerulean skies, but his mind was off to somewhere far, like Momiji's house, where Tohru lives.

After that ball, he had been thinking if he had feelings for Kagura. Or maybe, he just danced with her to ease the pain that he feels? What was it? Jealousy.

Yuki and Tohru dancing… and both of them went to the balcony. All of them were eager to see what will happen. AS for me, I left…

_Am I really that jealous? Yuki, the successor of Sohma's treasure, the next head, the one who made successfully out of different schools, the one who had the fame and fortune_…

_The one who won Tohru's heart._

_I've been jealous to him. Now, after she came… I felt so… different._

_Maybe that's why I left… _

"Were you waiting that long?"

Kyou looked down to the person looking up to him. Seeing whom the person is, Kyou jumped down and grinned at him. "Not that long."

"Did you run away again?" the man asked him. He looked a bit older with a cloak around him.

"Not really. I just need some time---"

"Like what Yuki said when he _ran away_." The man grinned. "You're just imitating what he said."

"As well as what you said." Kyou grinned. "You also ran away, didn't you, sensei?"

-----------------------------------

   
Kagura glanced at Hatori, who was fixing some papers. "How's Yuki?" he asked.

"Not good. He's been locking himself up all day in his room… well, actually it's Momiji's room and Momiji never liked that." Kagura wondered. "Were you like this when Akito told you?"

"…yeah," Hatori nodded. "Leave him inside. He needs some time to think."

"But---"

"He's a civilized person. He never wanted Tohru to be like this. Perhaps now, he's planning something for this problem…"

-------------------------------------

"What am I going to do?" Yuki asked himself. He had tucked himself at the corner of the room. "What should I do…"

Right now, Akito is making the wedding arrangements and for sure, he'll marry her in a week.

_If I choose to ignore the order, he would use Tohru greedily and she might even get hurt._

_But if I choose Tohru, I would lose thousands of lives…_

_And I wouldn't want that… because I was back then against the order… I shouldn't do it…_

_But what about Tohru…_

"Oe!" somebody shouted outside.

Yuki felt his mind stop for a moment. _God, don't tell me it's him._

"KUSO NEZUMI!!!" Kyou shouted again.

_Please not now… anybody but him… _Yuki thought over and over again.

Then there was minute silence. Yuki wondered why then he saw a hand grasping the side of his window. Kyou then jumped inside and grinned at his cousin. "It has been a long time, right?"

"I don't need you now. Leave me alone…" Yuki grumbled.

"Actually, I heard what happened and… I decided to help." The neko replied.

"Wow, nice thing to do for a change." Yuki grinned. "DO it for somebody else, like Kagura or Hatori."

"Hey, I went back all the way here just to help you! And now, you're rejecting it!" he shouted. "Geez, what's wrong with you?!"

"I worried for Tohru! That's what's wrong!." The nezumi yelled and soon calmed down as Kyou nodded.

"You're not the only one."

"I know that everybody is but… I was the first one to blame in the first place."

"So do you want help or not?" Kyou asked.

Yuki didn't answer. He just walked towards the bed and sat on it. Kyou followed him and sat beside him. "I found sensei."

Yuki's spirits rose. "Really?! Where?!"

"You have to come with me first." He grumbled. "Nobody should know."

"Where are we going?"

"To the village…"

-----------------------------------

Tohru sadly stared at the aquarium in her room. Small fishes of different colors swam in it and one of her favorite was the grayish one ^_^

"Yuki-kun…" she whispered softly.

At that very second when the line went dead, she felt her heart stop beating. She felt that she lost everything at that moment. She felt that she won't meet him again.

She lost all her hope.

Okaa-san, I'll be marrying the ruthless leader that you told me. I was against this will… but I don't want to be a burden at this point. I got involved in this… but I shouldn't involve anyone else like Uo-san and Hana-san. 

I'm all alone now. Okaa-san, guide me. Give me a sign of hope.

The door of her room opened slowly. A man in a dark green kimono came in. He had his grayish hair tied back and he was carrying a small tray with 2 teacups. "Good Afternoon, Honda-san."

Tohru stared at him again and then she smiled. "I know you! You passed by Uo-san's house!" 

"I didn't." he replied. "I slept there… and I also met your other friend… Hana, was it?"

"Hai." Her spirits rose again and her sadness slightly faded away. "But I didn't get you name."

"Oh, yes. I'm Kazuma." He bowed lowly. "May I fix you some tea?"

"That would be nice, thank you." She smiled.

------------------------------------------

"Where are we going, baka?" Yuki grumbled as he followed Kyou deep inside the forest.

"Hey, I'm just asked to do this." The neko replied.

After a few minutes of silence and walking, they reached into a mountain ridge where a person in a black coat was waiting for him.

"Ok…" Yuki stopped. "Who's he?"

"Beats me. I haven't met him." Kyou replied.

The person turned around and grinned at him. "Ohayo, Yuki-san. I'm a close friend of Hatori. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"SO you know sensei?" Kyou asked.

"Yes, Kazuma had been very helpful. With him, we discovered a few things about your father---"

"Akito." Yuki reminded. "He's not my father."

"Very well, let me continue." The man spoke. "We inspected a few things about the death of Kana Sohma. They said it was murder. But it wasn't."

"What is it?" Yuki asked.

"Suicide."

------------------------------------------

"Suicide?!" Kagura almost yelled at the top of her voice. Hatori snatched the letter from the stranger's hands and stared at it.

"You went all the way here just to tell us some dumb police report?!" Shigure yelled. "I demand an explanation!!!"

"But sirs, ma'am, this is based from the best investigators in the country. I'm only a messenger." The man in black cloak assured.  
"Hatori, do you believe this stuff?" Kagura asked

Hatori gripped the paper tightly in his hands. "I… I don't know…"

"Then why did she commit suicide?!" Shigure asked.

"Maybe she didn't want to marry Akito at all." The man wondered. "She committed suicide after you said that you won't implement the order, right?"

"Yes…" Hatori replied calmly. "Thank you for the information."

-----------------------------------------------

"Why are you telling this to me?" Yuki asked angrily. "Are you theorizing that Tohru would do the same?! Have you even met her?!"

"No sir, we're just trying to tell you that the one who is affected most at this time is Honda Tohru herself. If you won't do something other that disagreeing the order, I believe she would do something that is disagreed by all." The man explained. 

"What are you trying to say, messenger?"

"We're running out of time…and ideas, sir. " the man said. "The police would suggest to implement the order soon----"

"Are you crazy?!" Kyou yelled. "This place is overrun by peasants! Cleansing this place would be like killing the whole colony of ants!"

"But if we would start now, we would be finished soon…" 

"Yuki, don't do this." Kyou suggested. "Trust me, Tohru wouldn't want----"

"To live her life with Akito." Yuki finished his cousin's sentence. "I had to do this…but not now." He stared at the cloaked messenger. "Tell the police to stay on hold. I'm not yet implementing anything yet. I need confirmation from my fellow relatives."

"Well start from me." Kyou demanded. "I'm against this order."

"Kyou, you have to put yourself in my shoes." The nezumi eyed him angrily. "Don't you even care about Tohru's life for once?!"

"Well that sounds like you're the only one who understands her!" Kyou answered him angrily. "YOU should put yourself in her shoes! How would you feel if you live in a state of wealth and happiness while your friends are being torched to death?! Of course, Tohru would choose to sacrifice herself for her people!"

"How am I suppose to save her?!" 

"Wait for the right time! Don't you remember?! Kazuma was there!" Kyou yelled.

Yuki stopped for a moment. "Did you say… sensei was there… when Kana committed suicide?"

------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for your time, Tohru-san." Kazuma bowed once again.

"Hai, I had a great time." She replied.

"Me too." He nodded. "No wonder Yuki likes you."

Tohru stared at him and sadly replied, "I miss him."

Kazuma held her hand. "Maybe this would cheer you up a bit." He placed small wood-carved figurines of a cat and a mouse on her palm. She smiled a bit and a small tear fell on her eye.

"Kyou would be very happy if you would keep these figurines apart." Kazuma added. With that, Tohru giggled.

"Cat and mouse never gets along with anything…" she whispered.

"That's true…" _Especially when they fight about you._

"Can you tell Yuki that…" Tohru asked, "…I missed him… and I'm doing fine and I'm---"

"I understand." He nodded.

"Thank you." She replied softly as she went towards a small table and placed the figurines. 

A small frown was formed on Kazuma's face. _You had her resemblance… and you also asked the same thing. _

_Both were loved, used and taken away._

_God, please guide her always._  
 


	26. 26

_"I want to meet you… now." Hatori demanded._

_"Ok," Akito agreed, "I wouldn't mind meeting my former subordinate."_

_Hatori sighed as he held the phone loosely against his ear. "Where do you want to meet?"_

_"…hmm, I would like that place…" Akito wondered. "…where the two worlds meet."_

_"…the church?"_

_"Excellent!"_

--------------------------------

"Where are you going?" Shigure asked as he peeked from his office. Akito was wearing a doctor's suit with a black cloak on top. 

"Meeting with somebody."

"Ooh…" Shigure cooed happily. "Is this a girl?"

Hatori laughed. "Shigure, there's no other girl in my life except Kana, ok?" He raised his hand for Shigure to see. "See? My wedding ring is still here."

"Cool!" Shigure smiled. "Say, were you ok after what that guy told us? You know, about Kana?"

Hatori stared at his cousin, and at the same time recalling the conversation with the guy earlier. "It sounded so real… but…" 

"But?"

"…I would like to know more of this suicide thing." He said. "Perhaps I should investigate this myself."

------------------------------

"Are you sure we can meet him here?" Yuki asked Kyou.

"Of course." He grinned at his cousin. "The forest is my home as well as sensei's"

"I thought that sensei lived on the mountains?" The nezumi asked. Kyou didn't reply. 

After a few moments, Kazuma came. "Have you been waiting long?"

"I need to talk---"

"To both of you…" Kazuma pointed. He gave them two cloths. "Blindfold yourselves. You shouldn't know where are we going?"

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Yuki asked.

"Hey, you already know that I'm a spy, right?" he asked. Both of them nodded. "Then you have to follow everything exactly as I say. Akito has his ways of knowing things and soon, he would know that I'm a spy. He has already tightened the security."

"What are you planning to do?" Kyou asked.

"Where are you taking us?!" Yuki demanded.

"To Tohru." Kazuma hastily replied. "You shouldn't know where are we going because…well, it's a secret, at least to me and Kana---"

"Kana?"

"Never mind." The sensei whispered. "Please, we should do this while Akito is at the village."

Both of them looked at each other. Without any other options, they blindfolded themselves and followed Kazuma's wishes.

----------------------------------

Hatori entered the crowded church and quickly founded Akito kneeling on the front pew. He went towards him and knelt beside him. 

"Pitiful, aren't they?" Akito whispered in his prayer.

Hatori glanced at the clan head beside him. "They are very faithful."

"It was God's will to wipe them out of this land." He whispered back. "Somehow, I'm just following God's wishes."

"… are you planning to wipe out Yuki from the Sohma clan also?" Hatori asked. 

"My dear subordinate, I never liked Yuki in the first place. He is as rebellious as his mother but both of them are powerless against me. He was just a boy when he started to like me… though your help, Hatori." Akito explained. "And now, I shall return him to his people… and he would die with them soon."

"You can't kill Yuki." The doctor whispered back. "He's your subor---"

"He will never be the next Sohma clan head because at the first place he is not a Sohma."

"But---"

"Hatori, I always thought that you would be on my side for once… and you were almost on my side back then when that… Kana…"

"Kana died… and you KILLED her." Hatori said.

Akito couldn't help but grin at Hatori. "You totally have forgotten all about it, didn't you?"

"About what?"

"In that case, my drug worked perfectly then." Akito stood up and walked away. 

-------------------------------  
  


"Where are we…"

"Both of you keep quiet." Kazuma hissed. "We're almost there."

"Hey, I think I stepped on something…" Yuki whispered. "What do you think, Kyou…"

There was silence.

"Where is Kyou?" Kazuma asked.

"I don't know!" Yuki almost yelled. He felt that someone was behind him. He turned around but found no one. "Sensei, I think we're being tracked…"

Yuki stopped for a moment and took off the blindfold he was forced to wear. "Sensei, I think I need my eyes now…" He stopped and stared at the building in front of him.

"No Yuki!" Kazuma waved his hands in front of Yuki. "You can't see."

But it was too late. Yuki was already observing the familiar monument in front of him.

It was an ordinary two-floor abandoned house at the middle of the forest. Somehow, Yuki has seen this house somewhere at the back of his mind but he realized after those times that Hatori brainwashed him, he didn't realize what the importance of this house was.

"How come… I think I can remember…" he tried to recall but Kazuma shook him over and over again like the boy was in a deep trance.

"You shouldn't remember… if you do, everything will change. If you want to rescue Tohru, we must go now."

Yuki slowly nodded. His mind said yes, but his body remained in place.

_Why am I feeling like this? It seems like my body recalls a horrifying experience…_

_Have I been here before?_

--------------------------------

"What do you mean drug?" Hatori was able to catch up Akito before he went inside his carriage.

"See, you don't remember." Akito chuckled lightly. "Honestly, you may be smart but your ingenious mind is frail. You don't actually remember the night when Kana died? The night when I banished Kazuma? The night when Yuki ran away?" 

Hatori never thought of that. "All of them are on the same date? But… why?"

"You don't have to know… because you have to find out." The clan head grinned. "Like Yuki found out where I placed his beloved friend."

"Are you trying to repeat everything all over again?! First Kana, now Tohru. What are you trying to do?!"

"Can't you see?! I'm trying to prove that I am powerful!" Akito shoved Hatori aside and entered his ride. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that she gets it painlessly!" The carriage drove off and Akito laughed evily.

-------------------------------

"We have to get out of here. You have seen a lot, Yuki." Kazuma tried to pull him up. "You should see this."

Yuki was already searching in his mind what this place was…

_"Mama, where are we going?" he looked up to his mother._

_The woman beside him looked down. The afternoon sun was bright enough to cover her mother's face from her unruly hair._

_"To your father…"_

_"But… he's not my father." Yuki pouted. "He never like me."_

_"He will… because he has great plans for you."_

_Both of them waited outside the gate of an old and abandoned two-floor apartment in the middle of the forest._

_"Mama? Why is 'papa' living in the middle of the forest?" His mother didn't reply._

_A car drove in and out went Akito, a once proud and well dressed man. He went towards Yuki's mother and kissed her slightly on the lips. "Is this my little Yuki?"_

_"Yes…"_

_"Very well, as I promised, I will send you to your fathers in mountains."_

_"Mama…" Yuki tried to grab hold of his mother. "Mama, I want to come with---"_

_He was slapped hard on the cheek by Akito. "From now on, I own you…"_

"This is my first house…" Yuki realized.

"No…."

"Sensei… what do I need to know? Is this where I used to live? Is this where Akito tortured me until I beg for his mercy? Is this the place where I was imprisoned until I obey him?!"  
Kazuma didn't answer. "I don't want you to know… but I'm happy… that the drug is wearing off quickly."

"Drug?"

Kazuma stared at him seriously. "Yuki, if you want to know what your past was, we need to get inside, ok? But… I promise you…and I assure you… your memories inside this house won't be as pleasing as your life back in the mansion." Yuki nodded in reply. 

Just before they would get into action, somebody attacked them from behind and knocked them out unconscious.

  
  
 


	27. 27

"Hello?" Momiji answered his house phone.

"Call all your contacts and go to Akito's old house in the middle of the forest."

"But I don't know where it is and…" Momiji stopped. "Is this you, Hatori?"

"Argh, just get Shigure and Ayame with you and GO!" he hung up.

--------------------------

_"Mama?" he turned to look at the woman next to him. Both of them were locked up in the basement._

_"No, I'm not your mother." A young woman's voice replied. "Sorry, were you here that long?"_

_"What are you doing here?" Yuki stared at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a nightdress and shackles on her wrists. "Are you a criminal?"_

_"No… well I always think I'm not." She shook her head. "How about you? Were you tortured?" she pointed at the visible bruises on Yuki's arms._

_"He prefers to call it 'disciplinary act' rather than 'torture'." Yuki replied frankly._

_"Oh…that sounds degrading." she nodded. "What have you done then?"_

_"I disobeyed him." He answered. "He believed that peasants should be punished. I was the first one to hear his plans and I was also the first ones who were against it. It is not right to kill people."_

_"You are one smart lad." The woman smiled happily but beyond that smile was suffering and depression._

_"I hope mama will come and save me…" Yuki replied. "I hope he would understand why I ran away."_

_"Who's he?"_

_"Hatori-san." Yuki replied frankly once more. "He was the one who kept on protecting me from Akito-san. But I don't understand why he would agree with such an order." He stared at her. "I heard it all. It was so frightening. I want to warn everybody by running away but… I was taken by Akito's stupid weirdos."_

_"SO… you know about the order?"_

_"Hai, I was the first one the answer the most important phonecall in Hatori-san's life." Yuki smiled. "It was the matter of life and death of Kana-san."_

_The woman's smiled slowly disappeared. "The phonecall?… so that must mean.. you are Akito's son… the next heir, Yuki Sohma?"_

_"Hai?" Yuki asked._

_----------------_

Yuki's eyes fluttered open. He was lying at his side on the floor in one of the rooms of the house. His hands were tightly tied back and his mouth was covered by thin white cloth. He searched the room for his teacher. He was all alone. 

As he tried to break free from the knots, his mind was recalling the dream he had.

_It didn't look like a dream… it's like an erased memory at the back of my head. _He thought. _That's right. After that phone call, and an additional explanation from Shigure, I told Hatori that I was against that order. But he didn't listen._

_And then… I ran away, trying to look for sensei because he can be the only one who can help me. Then Akito's guards grabbed me… offered me a drug… and dragged me to the basement… and he himself tortured me…_

_And a woman was there after… she was also his prisoner… his possession… his thing…_

_And that woman was…_

He at last broke free from the ropes and quickly stood up. "Kana…" he breathed out. _Finally, everything started to come out. _"I need to find sensei."

He went outside the room and continued into a deep dark hallway. The only illuminating light was from the moon. _Have I slept that long?_

He found the door at the end of the hall slightly ajar and followed his instinct to open it. Once he entered, he locked the door behind him for safety. He searched the room and found an occupied bed at the corner of the room. The windows were open and the curtains were following the movement of the wind from outside.

There was a person lying motionlessly on the bed. Yuki slowly went towards it and the person reassembled somebody he knew.

"Tohru?"

The body slowly moved to one side and its eyes fluttered open. The moonlight pushed through the windowsill and illuminated the face of a woman. Her eyes were half-open and her lips formed a weak smile. Her arm stretched out to Yuki.

"Yuki…kun…" she faintly called him.

Without any further moment, he quickly held her hand, knelt at the side of the bed and reached out to kiss her on the cheek then on the lips. She felt so cold but her touch brought him warmth and comfort.

Finally, he found Tohru.

"Yuki…" she whispered for him to look at her. She was slightly crying and her grip in his hand loosened.

"Tohru, I won't leave you again. I swear." He whispered and kissed her hand. He held it against his chest, where she can feel his quickened heartbeat. "Tohru, I'm glad you're safe. Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you in anyway?"

She slowly sat up with Yuki's support. "I'm fine…" she whispered before she gripped tightly on Yuki's arms. "But… I feel very week… I don't know, I think I'm sick…"

Yuki felt her forehead. It was icy cold. "He must have left the window open for you to die in cold. That damn…" he cursed him angrily. "What else did he do? Did he tell you anything?"

"No… but… that tea…" she pointed at the side table. That was the tea offered by Kazuma hours ago."

Yuki again stared at the tea… which he again recalled something…

-------------

_"What's that?" he asked._

_"It a drug." One of Akito's bodyguard replied as he mixed some of it in a cup of tea. "It's his orders. Go serve it to the girl."_

_"I think Akito-san wouldn't want me to hold these delicate Chinaware in a tray." Yuki pointed out. "He knows that I'm clumsy."_

_"You would become more clumsy if you were not disciplined." The tall man pushed Yuki brutally to a corner and battered him with a thin bamboo stick. "Stupid kid." He ceased and delivered the tray to the room where the woman was sleeping…_

_Where Tohru was sleeping right now…_

_And he served the tea… in the same chinaware…_

_-----------------_

"This is not right." Yuki shook his head. 

"What…?"

"You were drugged." He whispered. _The same drug that he used at Kana. _"Tohru, I need you to walk. I can't carry you." She nodded at his request.

She slowly stood up with Yuki's support and he led her to the door but stopped as he heard someone outside.

"Hey, why is this door locked?" somebody called.

"They're here." Yuki slowly backed out from the door and went towards the open window.

"Yuki…"

"Tohru, do you remember the first time we met?" he asked. "And you wondered why a weak person like me can jump from incredible heights like these?" Both of them looked down and Tohru nodded weakly.

"Well now, you're here to find out." He held her hand tightly. "Close your eyes when you're scared ok?" Then, before Akito's men opened the door, both of them jumped from the window.

---------------

_"Thank you…" she whispered before she fell down and panted heavily._

_"Kana-san, please…" Yuki tried to pull her up. "Akito-san will be coming. He'll find out that we're here."_

_"Yuki, thank you for letting me escape but…" she smiled weakly. "I don't think my body can go any further… and that drug that you told me has already weakened me fully---"_

_"With the help of your husband." There was a click from a gun and Akito appeared behind the bushes. He was also carrying a thin bamboo stick on his hand._

_"Yuki, you disobeyed me again. After all those tutors that I hired, after all the lessons, you have never obeyed me! Why?! Was I that wrong to be your father?"_

_"You are never my father!!!" Yuki yelled back. He grabbed a thick branch and swayed it in front of Akito. The clan head dodged and ducked until Yuki ran out of energy to even lift his weapon._

_"Now, my turn…" He started to beat Yuki continuously until he was bleeding hard. _

_"Stop it!" Kana yelled. _

_Yuki tried to move away from his foster father, but he caught up to him and beat him again. Both of them reached the side of the cliff where a waterfall resides below. Yuki tried to back out but he realized that he was on a high ground and it was too risky to jump from his place. Akito laughed evily. _

_"What? Do you even think to jump? How can you? It's much better to give up rather than to take the risk the waters can save you! Ha! It can even drown you, you little twit!"_

_Kana started to beat Akito from behind but the clan head shoved her to the ground hard._

_"I had enough of you." Akito aimed the gun at Kana._

_A tear fell from her eye. "I'm sorry, Hatori-san…"_

_-----------_

Yuki woke up again. But he was not in his usual form. 

_I transformed? _He thought. He felt that he was in a pocket. He climbed out and looked up to see Tohru's face. She was sitting still, crying and biting her lower lip to prevent her from screaming. 

Yuki wanted to ask why but his head twitched as he found a man pointing a gun at Tohru. He was wearing an old kimono and was holding a thin bamboo stick on his hand. The man grinned at her and stared at her evily.

"I had enough of you." Akito aimed the gun at Tohru. 

She quickly held her pocket, where Yuki resides. _She's trying to protect me._

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"NO!!!!" Yuki yelled.

-------------------

Hatori got out from his car and stared at the house where Akito was hiding. He felt the chills and the shock when he heard the gunshot… and Yuki's voice.


	28. 28

**Author's notes:**

**Hey, in case you haven't noticed, the last two chapters were the climax part of the story ( I managed to laugh at your reviews Evil cliffy! ^_^ ). And now, I give you the last part of Devoted to You: The final chapter and the epilogue. The epilogue should be long but I realized… IT'S AN EPILOGUE so I managed to squeeze it in the final chapter.**

**Have fun and enjoy the show… I mean, the chapter… ^_^**

**… *manages to get the popcorn from the dinner table and soda from the ref***

Yuki closed his eyes for a moment as Akito pulled the trigger. Tohru yelped for second, then cupped her face in fear. Both of them thought that Tohru would be dead.

But they were wrong.

Yuki looked up and saw another person blocking Akito's way.  He held the gun away from Tohru and Yuki and he stared at Akito angrily. 

"It's over, Akito." Kazuma hissed. "You lost."

"LOST?!" Akito almost howled in laughter. "What do you mean lost? I'm winning, Kazuma, because no one is here to save them."

"Then how about me?" He gripped Akito's gun tightly. 

"Really?" Akito glared. "Are you trying to tell me that you are betraying me, my good friend and companion?"

"I had enough of your stupid ambitions. You're betting on lives here!" he yelled. At that moment, Yuki transformed back to his human form and Kazuma covered him a coat. "Besides, as a teacher, I need to do something for my students. You tried to kill Yuki back then, and I won't let you do this again."

"Kill me?" Yuki whispered under his breath. Then, a sudden flashback came into his mind.

----------------------------

_"K-Kana…" Yuki whispered silently as he stared at Kana's motionless body, blood covering the upper half of her body. Akito burst in laughter._

_"Obviously, she's pathetic as she was when she married with my Hatori." He hissed. "She needs to be punished."_

_"You… You killed her." Yuki tried to stand from his position but the wounds weakened him._

_"Yes… and you will be next." Akito again pointed the gun at Yuki. "I should have just sold you to my clients. It was a mistake to have an affair with a peasant."_

_"Don't insult my mom!" The nezumi charged with all his might to the clan head, grabbing the gun and pointing it towards the heavens, which was starting to darken. Akito managed to grab back the gun in Yuki's grip but during the struggle, he pulled the trigger too many times. _

_Akito had enough playing games with his son so he grabbed his thin bamboo stick and started to beat Yuki again. The young one again curled against the edge of the cliff, his bloody hands covering his face._

_"I… have no choice… it is… God's will…" Akito withdrew from his son and aimed his gun to him. "I have… to kill you…"_

_ Just before he pulled the trigger, somebody came in behind the tree, grabbed Yuki and jumped from the cliff side to the raging waters below._

_------------------------------_

"It… was you…" Yuki looked up to his teacher. "You were the one who…"

"Yes, it was me." Kazuma smiled encouragingly at Yuki. "And I'm happy that you're ok." He turned to look at Akito. "It's over, Akito. Even your own son knows the truth. You set everything up. You made the people believe that Hatori was the one who killed Kana, so that you have the right excuse to get him off his position. You even paid the police for reporting that Kana committed suicide, knowing that we already figured out that you're repeating history."

"Everything you told to me was a lie… you even tried to kill Tohru!" Yuki yelled. "You wanted to do this because of the order?! Your father's ambition?! Why are you so selfish?!"

"I'm not SELFISH! I'm misunderstood! This is the land of our forefathers! This is the land of the rich and noble! Peasants are **pests** in this land. Soon they might overcome us! The Sohma clan should not be in favor of this phenomenon." Akito explained furiously. 

"Yuki, you want to be successful, right? The only way to be successful is to move all the obstacles along the way! The ORDER is the ONE we NEEDED!" he pressed.

"One way of being successful is to face the obstacles, Akito, not ignore and destroy them." Yuki explained. "You're mad about success but instead of gaining it, you will lose it. Why? You'll be sacrificing thousands of lives for this."

"Listen to your son, Akito." Kazuma grinned. "Remember, he represents millions of people in this land."

Akito stared at Yuki and after a few moments, he laughed again madly.

"What? W-What am I thinking… or maybe, repenting?! No, no… I pledged to do this…" he grabbed hold again his gun. "I… Akito Sohma, represent my forefathers… and even God himself! I have the will to wipe out the pests in this land…" 

He pointed the gun at Yuki. "And I'll start it from you… PEASANT!"

Akito pulled the trigger and, just before Yuki got hit, he and Kazuma were pushed away by Tohru.

There was a siren heard near them and voices shouted Yuki's name over and over again. One of the familiar voices was Hatori. Akito ran away in fear and Kazuma followed him.

-------------------------------

"No!" Yuki pulled himself up and struggled towards Tohru, who was moaning in pain from the bullet inside her. She almost crying in pain, and Yuki couldn't do anything but to cover the wound on her stomach.

"D-Don't cry… please…" Yuki whispered. Instead of saying anything, she leaned her head against his arm and her hands cupped her own wound. He felt that he was helpless. _I failed to protect her… and I even thought at the first place that I could help her…_

Before he would curse himself, he felt an encouraging but weak grip. Tohru tried to get his attention and once she did, she smiled at him. "It's over, right? Yuki-kun…w-will be alr-right… right?" she managed to speak in heavy breaths.

Yuki kissed her in forehead. "Yes, it's over…"

He felt someone kneeling beside him and he winced once his wounds were touched. "We need to get you and especially Tohru to a nearby hospital." Hatori whispered. "She's in bad shape."

"Hatori… Akito drugged---"

"Yes, I managed to make an antidote in case this kind of cases arise." He waved his hand to call one of his officials to carry Tohru.

Yuki managed to stand up in Hatori's grip and his mind flew sideward. He was very tired, very weak and very sleepy… but still he was very happy.

_Everything will be alright. _He told himself. 

------------------------------------

"After a few days of search, Akito was found hiding at his suite located at the corner of the country. He was hereby sentenced lifetime imprisonment by the authority." Shigure read the morning papers. 

"That serves him right." Kagura nodded as she poured coffee at Shigure's cup. "And finally everything seems normal now." 

"Um… not exactly." He sipped from his cup.  
"Why not? I mean, Kyou and I got together, Kisa and Hiro got scholarship from a well-organized school, Kazuma managed to carry on his career as a martial art teacher, Ayame was able to expand his business, you and mit-chan got along in publishing you next book and Hatori would be going on his business trip that can affect positively his career." Kagura enumerated. 

"Keep going…" Shigure nodded.

"Oh, and Momiji will be running for mayor in the next 5 months."

"Really?! MOMIJI?!" the inu almost yelled.

"Yeah, isn't that great? Haru will be his manager. Weird, right?" she laughed. "He was able to cope up his debts with the help of Yuki---" Kagura stopped as Shigure glared at her after she mentioned Yuki's name. "What?"

"Yuki?"

"Oh yeah, he was able to fix the problem about the land reform and Akito's mixed up plans---"

"I'm not talking about Yuki as in HIM-HIM." Shigure barked. "I meant… HIM-HER"

Kagura stared at him.

"I meant his _personal affairs._"

"Oh…" Kagura said. "Well, he's been planning that for days now."

"AND?!"

"… it's up to him to tell her." The boar sighed. "C'mon, he can do it!"

-----------------------

Yuki stood stiffly in front of Momiji's front door. He didn't have neither flowers on his hand nor chocolates on the other. All he had was the ring he bought days ago with his brother on his pocket and shivering hand holding the doorknob.

_Just twist the knob and push the door, dammit!_ His mind yelled over and over again.

Before he could do it, the door opened by itself and the image of beauty stood before him.

"Ohayo, Yuki-kun!" she smiled happily. "How was your day?"

"I-I'm fine." He stammered as she looked at him. "How are you? Are you ok? Is the antidote ok? DO you feel any pain---"

Tohru chuckled lightly. "Yuki-kun, I think the humidity is making you hyper today. Your questions seem endless!"

Yuki stared at her. "Humidity?"

"You're blushing, for short." Momiji yelled from inside. Yuki coughed out a bit and took a deep breath. 

_Ok, here it goes._ "What are you planning to do tonight?"

Tohru wondered for a while. "I don't know. I promised Ayame to help him in his new dresses but unfortunately, he was able to pick a new model." She sighed. "So, what are _you_ planning?"

"A good friend of Shigure will be opening a restaurant somewhere near the Pierre. He was planning to entertain me as a guest of his meals." Yuki explained.

"Oh… so that means you get the meals for free?"

"Yeah, as the acting mayor." He nodded. "But everyone's fully booked up their schedule and I had no one to talk to while I'm eating. And whenever a person is sad in a meal---"

"He or she spoils the food." Tohru finished his sentence. 

"I was just wondering if you could join me for dinner…" he breathed out. He gazed at her eyes and she stared at his.

"Are… you asking me out?" Tohru asked.

"… yes." He said finally. "So… what do you think?"

Tohru was almost blushing in front of him and silently nodded. He smiled happily. "I'll meet you tonight then." She whispered before she turned and opened the door. 

Before she went inside, Yuki grabbed her on the arm and kissed her lightly on the lips. Tohru surprisingly blinked at him. She was already blushing at deep shades of red. Yuki, because of that, chuckled.

"T-That's not funny." She stammered consciously. 

Yuki went closer to her and gazed at her eyes. His hands loosely held her face and kissed her again fully on the lips. Tohru this time, kissed back.

"I love you." He whispered as he pulled back. 

"I know." She smiled. "Thank you for everything. I always wish that I can give you something in return---"

"You don't need to." Yuki smiled. "You are my everything."

Tohru smiled and sighed as she was again kissed by the most wonderful guy in the world.

^_^

**Epilogue:**

"He did?!" Shigure asked. "How did you know?!"

"I have my sources." Hatori's voice rang on the phone. "Honestly, Yuki is so lucky to have her."

"Yeah… but why? It's not very _manly._" The inu pouted. 

"Hey, he tried his best." The doctor replied. "He and Tohru will be settling in Hawaii for a while. By the time they are ready, they'll be heading back."

"And we'll be throwing a party for them!"

"Shigure, I may be on my business trip but I have my eyes watching that house." Hatori warned. "NO PORN! I don't want _her _to be aware what our clan is up to."

"…what are we up to, anyway?" Shigure asked. At that very moment, Hatori hung up.

---------------------------

Shigure quickly went towards the kitchen where all of the Sohmas were eager to hear the news.

"What is it?! The suspense is killing me!!!" Kagura yelled.

"Yuki and Tohru **Sohma**…" Shigure hissed. "…have a healthy and beautiful BABY GIRL!!!"

Everyone started shouting and howling and hugging each other.

"I have a niece!!!" Ayame shouted.

"Everything happened so fast!" Kisa cried.

"Yeah, Yuki was the one who was fast." Shigure nodded. "My friend who owned the restaurant said that he was able to propose to her even BEFORE the main course came!"

"The Nezumi is _ALWAYS _fast." Kyou grumbled.

"Kyou, can you do the same?" Kagura asked.

"NO!"

"Hey, what's the name of the baby girl?" Haru asked.

Shigure thought for a moment. "What was the name again… oh yeah… I remember…because it is very memorable to everyone's ears."

"Maybe it's _AKITA._" Hiro laughed.

"Keep quiet!" Kisa hissed.

"Hey, what's the name of my neice!?" Ayame asked angrily. All of them stared at Shigure.

"Kana…" he declared. "Kana is the name of the new member of the Sohma clan."

END 

**Cool, right? It took me a long time to think.**

**Anyway, thank you readers for reading my fics. Now, I need to end my note**

**My 11th story, DEVOTED TO YOU, published at the 29th of May, 2003, is now officially UPDATED, FINISHED and COMPLETED at the 31st of March, 2004, 2:25:33 in the afternoon by z.a.franks, author of Fanfiction.net**

**Cool huh? It took me a few minutes to think about that speech.**

See you in the next story (Need ADVICE)  
  



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